Netanyahu ‘committed’ to ceasefire framework deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he remains committed to the Gaza ceasefire framework currently being negotiated but accused Hamas of making demands that contradict it.
“I am committed to the framework deal for freeing our hostages, but the Hamas murderers are sticking to demands that contradict the framework, that endanger Israel,” Netanyahu said in a speech.
Earlier, Hamas said Israel is using a “policy of procrastination to buy time with the aim of thwarting this round of negotiations, as it did in previous rounds”. The group also said mediators in Qatar had not yet provided the group with updates about the deal.
Ceasefire deal unlikely unless ‘extreme pressure’ applied on Netanyahu
Netanyahu is unlikely to sign a ceasefire deal “unless he is under extreme pressure”, Eran Etzion, former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council, tells Al Jazeera as an Israeli negotiating team heads to Cairo to meet mediators.
“Everything Netanyahu does is geared towards his own political survival and nothing else matters,” Etzion said, adding that a “clear distinction” has emerged between Netanyahu’s personal interests and those of the Israeli people.
The prime minister is on trial on multiple counts of corruption, and some observers suggest he may be seeking to remain in office to avoid criminal proceedings.
Etzion added that while opinion polls suggest the Israeli public is in favour of a truce even if it means a complete cessation of hostilities, Netanyahu has resisted the idea of a ceasefire before the full destruction of Hamas’s capabilities.
A deal is unlikely to be signed unless the US and Israeli public – the two actors that have leverage on Netanyahu – assert their full weight, Etzion said.
‘Miles to go’ to close ceasefire deal, says White House adviser
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says many details still need to be hammered out to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
“There’s still miles to go before we close, if we are able to close. So I don’t want to say that it’s immediately around the corner, but it does not have to be far out in the distance if everyone comes in this with the will to get it done,” Sullivan told reporters.
He added there’s been no change in policy about a US pause of the shipment of 2,000-pound (907kg) bombs to Israel. Sullivan also said US President Joe Biden will soon give an update on the status of ceasefire talks.
Netanyahu ‘reiterating’ same position on ceasefire since start of war on Gaza
For the last nine months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been echoing the same position he’s had since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
He’s been reiterating that until there is what he’s calling an absolute victory over Hamas, both militarily and politically, the war is going to continue. He also emphasised that the fighting will continue until all of the other objectives of the war are reached.
It all comes with the backdrop of the current ceasefire negotiations – they’ve just wrapped up in the Qatari capital Doha, and are expected to continue tonight and tomorrow in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
But Netanyahu has confirmed that there are several red lines for Israel, and at the top of that list is a guarantee that Israel will be able to continue the war on Gaza, even if there is a pause in the fighting.
Netanyahu demands control of border as videos show Israeli flag at Rafah crossing
Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Israel retain control of key Palestinian territory along the Gaza border with Egypt, one of several conditions the Israeli prime minister has set to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Speaking after the return of Israeli negotiators from talks with mediators in Qatar, Netanyahu said Israel needed to stop weapons from reaching Hamas.
It is the first time Israel has insisted on retaining control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the so-called Philadelphi Corridor along the border. He did not say if the measure would be permanent.
The condition conflicts with Hamas’s position that Israel must withdraw from all Gaza territory after a ceasefire. Meanwhile, videos posted on social media show an Israeli flag flying at the Rafah crossing, on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
It also conflicts with Egypt's position that does not want Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor.
Relatives of Israeli captives continue march to demand Gaza deal
The relatives of Israeli captives held in Gaza are continuing a four-day march to West Jerusalem to pressure their government into reaching a deal in Gaza. The protest is set to end on Saturday night outside the prime minister’s office.
Families Israeli captives in Gaza march towards West Jerusalem in an attempt to pressure their government to negotiate a deal
