As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to the US to address Congress, Israeli security chiefs gave unanimous approval to the current hostage deal on the table.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar all told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they agreed with the hostage deal currently being negotiated.
In a statement, they said, “We are aware of the security ramifications, but this is the time to prioritize releasing the hostages, whose time is limited.”
One of the pressing aspects of the deal is a 6-week pause in fighting, which the security chiefs say won’t provide Hamas a sufficient opportunity to regroup and rearm.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu responded to the security chiefs by saying he was not willing to be as flexible as they were.
Halevi reportedly told Netanyahu, “We will know how to create all the flexibility needed to honor the terms of the deal. This is the time to combine the military pressure and the negotiations and see how to move forward [to a deal].”
