Netanyahu orders return of part of Israeli negotiating team from Doha

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the return of part of the Hamas negotiating team from the Qatari capital, Doha, on Tuesday, leaving only the technical staff, according to Hebrew media.

The private Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu "directed the return of part of the negotiating team from Doha, while keeping the technical crews there."

She added that the decision was made after discussions held by Netanyahu with leaders of the Israeli security establishment.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas said the continued presence of the Israeli delegation in Doha, despite its lack of authority, was an attempt by Netanyahu to "mislead international public opinion," stressing that "no real negotiations have taken place since last Saturday."

The Israeli delegation in Doha includes officials from the military, the Shin Bet security service, and the Prime Minister's Office, but with limited powers and a mandate to negotiate within the framework of a proposal presented months ago by US Presidential Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, which Netanyahu rejected, insisting on not halting the war.

The Witkoff plan calls for the release of prisoners in two batches, half of them on the first day of the agreement's implementation, while negotiations on ending the war begin throughout the two-month ceasefire. The remaining prisoners will be released once an agreement is reached.

**Limited representation

In a related context, the Hebrew website Walla quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying that "some representation of the negotiating team will remain in Doha."

He noted that Netanyahu "has come to the conclusion that the team's continued presence in Doha has exhausted its usefulness in the absence of progress in the talks."

In turn, the private Israeli Channel 13 quoted an Israeli source as saying, "Following the negotiations in Doha reaching a dead end, Netanyahu decided to return senior members of the negotiating team to Israel for consultations while keeping the mid-level teams there."

According to the same source, senior members of the negotiating team, Gal Hirsch, Netanyahu's political advisor, Ofir Falk, and a senior official in the Shin Bet (General Security Service), referred to as "M," will return to Tel Aviv.

In return, "the Israelis will keep representatives from the security establishment in Doha, so as not to close the door to any possibility of progress in the negotiations," according to the same source.

** Ceasefire

The channel claimed that Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a prisoner exchange and ceasefire, based on a proposal put forward by Witkoff about two and a half months ago.

The proposal's general outlines include the release of 10 live Israeli prisoners in a single day, along with the return of half the bodies of slain prisoners, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to the same source.

However, sources familiar with the details of the negotiations told Channel 13 on Monday evening that Hamas has not yet given up its demand that Israel commit to a definitive end to the war.

According to the channel, the Israeli delegation, in accordance with the mandate granted to it by the senior political leadership, refuses to commit to ending the war.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are 58 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,100 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

Hamas has repeatedly declared its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in one batch" in exchange for an end to the war of extermination, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

But Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice, is evading the situation by proposing new conditions, the most recent of which is the disarmament of Palestinian factions in Gaza, a demand the latter reject as long as the Israeli occupation continues.

** Threats and criticism

For his part, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir threatened Hamas, claiming that it had "rejected a proposed proposal."

"Hamas will pay the price for its intransigence," Zamir said in a statement released by the Israeli army on Tuesday evening.

He added, "Hamas will face massive firepower, and we will expand the maneuver, occupy other areas, and cleanse and destroy terrorist infrastructure until it is defeated," he said.

He continued, "If an agreement is reached, the Israeli army will know how to adapt its operations accordingly."

Zamir also addressed statements made by opposition Democrats party leader Yair Golan, who said in an interview with the Israel Broadcasting Authority that "a rational state does not wage war against civilians, does not kill children as a hobby, and does not pursue a policy of population displacement."

Zamir said, according to the statement, that "there is no basis in truth for any statement questioning" what he claimed was "the morality of our actions or the morality of our fighters."

Defending his comments, which have drawn criticism in Israel, Golan asserted earlier Tuesday evening that when Netanyahu's government ministers celebrate the "death and starvation of Palestinian children" in the Gaza Strip, the matter must be addressed.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 175,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, more than 11,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.