An Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding the attack on Rafah complicated the ongoing prisoner exchange negotiations with Hamas.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, described in his interview with the New York Times the ongoing ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, as “crisis.”
He added that Netanyahu's pledge to invade Rafah led to "Hamas escalating its position" during the ongoing negotiations.
With the mediation of Egypt and Qatar and the participation of the United States, Israel and Hamas have been conducting faltering indirect negotiations for months to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
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Israeli official: Netanyahu's statements about the Rafah attack complicated the negotiations