JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the travel of internal and external intelligence directors to Doha and Cairo to hold indirect negotiations with Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap deal.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu endorsed the participation of Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Director Ronen Bar in upcoming negotiations to be held first in Doha, Qatar, and then in Cairo, Egypt.
Indirect negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, have failed to reach a new agreement between Hamas and Israel for a cease-fire, which includes a prisoner exchange.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority (KAN) reported disagreements between Netanyahu and Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot of the war Cabinet, which was established after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.
During a meeting on March 28, Barnea believed that an agreement with Hamas was possible and proposed expanding the powers of the negotiating team to reach an agreement with Hamas on a prisoner exchange.
But Netanyahu objected to the details when presented to him, Channel 12 television reported, citing unnamed sources.
According to the channel, the proposal includes the release of 40 Israeli prisoners in exchange for the unconditional return of northern Gaza residents to their homes.
It is also reported that Netanyahu considered the proposal "weak" from Israel's perspective and ordered preparations for the occupation of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Gantz and Eisenkot also supported Barnea's position, but they did not prevent Netanyahu from opposing and rejecting the agreement, the media outlet said.
Under Barnea's leadership, an Israeli delegation traveled to Doha on March 18 for talks on a hostage swap and a Gaza cease-fire.
Israeli media said negotiations with Hamas officially began with the arrival of a delegation led by the Mossad chief.
Nitzan Alon, in charge of Israeli military captures and missing persons, was a member of the delegation. The talks were expected to last about two weeks, Channel 12 reported.
Hamas and Israel remain at odds, with Hamas demanding a permanent cease-fire while Israel insists on temporary cease-fires and continuing military actions. The disagreement also extends to issues like the return of displaced Palestinians and Israeli control over Gaza.
The prisoner exchange issue is a key point of contention, with Hamas claiming over 70 Israeli prisoners killed during the Gaza attacks and demanding the release of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
During a brief humanitarian pause in the conflict from Nov. 24 to 28, 2023, 81 Israeli and 240 Palestinian prisoners were released, but thousands of Palestinians remain detained by Israel.
- UN Security Council resolution remains unimplemented
The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which already began on March 11 and is set to end on April 9.
As many as 14 countries voted in favor of the resolution, presented by 10 elected members of the council, while the US abstained from voting.
The resolution called for an "immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable cease-fire."
It also demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs."
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed nearly 1,200 people.
Nearly 32,500 Palestinians have since been killed and 74,900 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza. It said: “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine ... but that famine is setting in.”
*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul
