The outlines of a deal are clear: up to a six-week ceasefire and 30 to 40 Israeli hostages in exchange for around 300 imprisoned Palestinians, according to media reports. Mediators from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States are said to have hammered out the foundations for a new ceasefire in Gaza over the weekend.
– When details start to emerge regarding the type of hostages and the number to be released, but also the length of the ceasefire itself, it indicates that a few steps have been taken along the way. That makes the whole thing a little more hopeful, says Isabell Schierenbeck, Middle East researcher and professor at the University of Gothenburg.
Go harder
According to Israeli media, the sketch is supported by the country’s war cabinet, which was appointed in October and has repeatedly gone against the government. The question is whether Prime Minister Netanyahu and the most extreme right-wing ministers in the government are on the same path. Among others, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has dismissed the agreement and promised to vote against it, writes The Times of Israel.
– Netanyahu is trying to keep his coalition government together. There are forces in the government that really don’t want to prioritize the hostages and an agreement but go even harder in Gaza, but then there are those who are ambivalent and lean more towards the war cabinet, says Schierenbeck.
According to Israeli Keshet 12 sources, Netanyahu is “sabotaging” the peace talks by constantly adding more demands and limiting his delegation’s room for action.
New demands
This weekend, he is said to have suddenly demanded that Palestinians in the prisoner exchange convicted of serious crimes be deported to Qatar, as well as to receive a list of the hostages who are still alive.
– Netanyahu is not interested in an agreement. He is doing everything to derail the negotiations, says an anonymous official according to Keshet 12.
The outings can be seen as a way to put pressure, says Schierenbeck.
– We must remember that all statements that come now can also be directed inwards towards the ongoing negotiations, she says.
“Victory Within Reach”
Regardless of the ceasefire, Israel will carry out the heavily criticized offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to Netanyahu. If an agreement is reached, the effort may be delayed – but it will happen, he told CBS News:
– Complete victory is within reach. We are not talking months, we are talking weeks as soon as we start the operation (in Rafah).
Ceasefire talks continue this week. Terror-labeled Hamas participates indirectly with representatives negotiating through proxies.