As Israel waits with bated breath for the outcome of hostage release talks, the Israeli Prime Minister stayed firm on his demand that any agreement must allow Israel to fulfill its objectives in the Gaza War.
After months of stalled talks, negotiations were renewed as Hamas slightly relaxed a previous demand–that no hostages would be released until Israel committed upfront to a complete and permanent ceasefire.
Now, Hamas has indicated it may consider a pause in fighting while some hostages are released as a first phase towards a permanent ceasefire.
After sending a delegation to Doha for further talks, Netanyahu said any deal must “allow Israel to return and fight until all the goals of the war are achieved.”
Netanyahu outlined conditions any deal must meet, including allowing Israel to resume fighting as needed, shutting down smuggling of weapons to Gaza through Egypt, limited the number of Palestinian prisoners released for each hostage and maximizing the number of live hostages released.
