Cabinet meeting amid Israeli divisions over prisoner swap deal with Hamas

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Monday that the security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended by ministers and senior military and security leaders, began a meeting to discuss the release of prisoners and the future of the war in the Gaza Strip.

This meeting, the second of its kind in less than 24 hours, comes amid a state of division among Israeli political leaders regarding efforts to reach a prisoner exchange agreement, with some demanding a cessation of hostilities to allow for the release of prisoners and others rejecting any deal, even a partial one, with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The Security Cabinet held a meeting yesterday to discuss the future of the war, but it ended in disagreement without reaching any decisions.

Israeli media reported that the ministers were informed during the meeting that no progress had been made toward an agreement to return the prisoners.

The meeting witnessed a debate between government officials and military leaders, with members of the government expressing their rejection of the army's claim that Operation Gideon's Wagons was nearing its end, asserting that Hamas had not yet been defeated.

Israel Hayom also quoted sources close to Netanyahu as saying he has not given up on the war's objectives, and that what is currently on the table is a deal based on a plan by US envoy Steve Witkoff, after which the fighting could resume.

Disagreements

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Israel benefits nothing from the ongoing war in Gaza, and that a deal must be reached to ensure the release of all detainees.

He added that the army no longer has any targets in the Gaza Strip, and that occupying the Strip is not in Israel's interest, calling for the Israeli army to remain in the Gaza envelope area.

The head of the "State Camp" party, Benny Gantz, also demanded the return of all prisoners from Gaza at once and as soon as possible.

Gantz said that an agreement must be reached that guarantees their return, no matter the cost to Israel, even if it is a long-term ceasefire.

He added that there is a need for a national consensus government, expressing his support for any measure that leads to the release of prisoners.

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party, also said that all Israeli prisoners in Gaza must be returned at once, even if that means ending the war.

Lieberman said he did not know what Israel's strategy was in the Gaza Strip and what it was doing there.

He considered that Hamas is still surviving thanks to the aid that Israel brings into the Gaza Strip.

In contrast, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir strongly opposed any partial deal with Hamas, asserting that "the kidnapped soldiers must be released, but not at the expense of our country's security."

The far-right minister stressed that the release of prisoners must be achieved through force and that Hamas's threat must be prevented. He called for encouraging voluntary emigration from Gaza and ending the Strip's problems once and for all, as he put it.

Families of prisoners

These political responses coincide with the welcome by the families of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza of Netanyahu's announcement that the return of the prisoners is a top priority, for the first time since the start of the war, which has been ongoing for more than 20 months.

The Authority stated that Netanyahu's statements, despite their extreme importance, were supposed to lead to a single deal to return the fifty kidnapped soldiers in one go and end the fighting in Gaza.

She added that most Israelis realize that the only way to release everyone is through a comprehensive agreement that stops the fighting.

The commission called on Netanyahu to make a decision that prioritizes moral, official, and operational considerations over any personal or political considerations, saying he has so far chosen not to make the necessary decision, despite the will of the people.

American pressure

Separately, a US official confirmed to The Times of Israel that the United States plans to pressure Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to end the Gaza war ahead of his upcoming visit to Washington.

US President Donald Trump had previously called via Truth Social to reach an agreement on Gaza and return the detainees.

Trump said that Netanyahu is negotiating a deal with Hamas that includes the return of the hostages, and that what he described as the farce of Netanyahu's trial will affect negotiations with Hamas and Iran.

Trump pointed out that his country spends billions of dollars protecting and supporting Israel and will not allow this trial.

It's worth noting that Israel estimates there are 50 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,400 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

Hamas has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in one batch" in exchange for an end to the war of annihilation, an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. However, Netanyahu insists on partial deals and evades them by proposing new conditions.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been committing genocidal crimes in Gaza, leaving approximately 190,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, more than 11,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.