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PALESTINE

Mon 08 Jul 2024 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Gallant calls for "not wasting" the current opportunity to conclude a deal with Hamas

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant called on his country's government to take advantage of the current opportunity to reach a deal to return prisoners in the Gaza Strip and not waste it.


This came as a result of internal accusations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to "sabotage" current efforts to reach a deal with Hamas.


Galant said, during his meeting with a number of the families of the prisoners: “The security system (in Israel) with all its branches believes that the return of the abductees (the Israeli prisoners in Gaza) is a central goal that must be achieved, and we must do everything in order to exploit the opportunity currently presented,” according to Radio. Israeli army.


The Israeli minister claimed that "military pressure in Gaza created the conditions that make it possible to move forward toward the deal."


He considered that "his country's security system knows how to stop the fighting and resume it anywhere in Gaza as needed."


Gallant concluded his statement by saying: “We must benefit from military pressure to move the deal forward and not let it pass.”


It is expected that in the next few days, indirect negotiations will be renewed between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners between the two sides and a ceasefire, leading to ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.


In this context, an Israeli delegation headed by the head of the Shin Bet Security Service, Ronen Bar, left for Egypt to continue these negotiations, while an American delegation headed by the Director of the CIA, William Burns, arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.


But Hebrew media warned that Netanyahu would refuse to reach the deal, for fear of dissolving his right-wing government.


The official Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation commented on a statement issued by Netanyahu's office on Sunday evening, without the knowledge of the heads of the security establishment, prior to their participation in a meeting with him to hold a private discussion about the deal.


The authority said: “The heads of the security establishment and all participants in the negotiations for the kidnappers’ deal had already arrived at Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, but before the meeting began, an unusual announcement came from the Prime Minister’s Office about the conditions it had set for the deal.”


She continued: “Sources in the security establishment raised concerns that Netanyahu will refrain from moving forward with the deal for fear of dissolving the government.”


The authority quoted sources familiar with the discussion, which it did not name, saying: “Some of those present in the discussion criticized the behavior of the Prime Minister, who set the conditions even before their scheduled meeting.”


The sources pointed out that "negotiations must be conducted within the rooms, not through press releases, and before the start of a meeting that will determine whether or not negotiations will continue."


On Sunday, Netanyahu's office claimed in a statement that "the Prime Minister's firm stance against the attempt to stop Israeli army operations in the city of Rafah (south) is what prompted Hamas to enter into negotiations."


For months, mediation efforts led by Qatar and Egypt, along with the United States, have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas, but the mediation efforts were hampered due to Netanyahu’s refusal to respond to Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

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Gallant calls for "not wasting" the current opportunity to conclude a deal with Hamas