Haaretz: Israel has informed Washington that it won’t abide by the Gaza agreement… wants to release all prisoners in one big phase

On Monday, Israel informed the United States that it’s not committed to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the prisoner exchange that was formulated during the term of former US President Joe Biden, and that it only wants to release all its prisoners held by Hamas in one large phase, Haaretz newspaper said.

The Israeli newspaper added, “The Minister of Strategic Affairs and personal representative of (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu in the United States, Ron Dermer, met with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, twice in Florida, and this was the message: Israel is not committed to the three-stage plan of the (former US President Joe) Biden administration, even if it signs it”.

Haaretz continued, “Netanyahu’s plan, as presented by Dermer-Litkov, is, the release all remaining hostages in one large phase, and Hamas will receive the prisoners in return”.

According to Haaretz newspaper, if Netanyahu’s demand to release the prisoners is not met, he will resort to Plan B.

The newspaper explained that Plan B is a version of the “Generals’ Plan,” in which Israel will return to intensive warfare, establish shelter areas for civilians, and allow food distribution by international organizations in these areas alone.

This plan contradicts what Witkoff told US media on Sunday: “We expect that the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza will go forward”.

According to Haaretz, “In fact, for Netanyahu there is no second stage”.

The second phase of the agreement calls for an end to the war, a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and a prisoner exchange.

According to Haaretz, “Netanyahu is waiting for the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, to assume his position and formulate a detailed plan,” as he is scheduled to assume his duties on March 6, succeeding Herzi Halevi.

“All buildings in Gaza City, the refugee camps in central Gaza and Khan Yunis will be demolished to their foundations – either from the air or from the ground,” Haaretz said.

The newspaper pointed out that Israel is managing the negotiations regarding the release of the rest of its prisoners in Gaza with the United States according to Netanyahu’s tactics, which can be summed up as reaching an agreement with the Trump administration, which will in turn exert pressure that Hamas will feel, and in Qatar and Egypt, they are watching and following the developments with great interest.

Doha’s interest is to end the war and have civilian control over the Gaza Strip.

In Cairo, the Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Road is viewed – and to some extent justified – as a violation of the peace agreement between the two countries.

Under the peace treaty, the presence of armored forces along the border is prohibited.

For the Egyptians, the failure to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor constitutes a real diplomatic crisis that will have repercussions on relations between the two countries.

Hamas wants the residents of the Gaza Strip to spend a peaceful Ramadan without war, doesn’t intend to release all the hostages, but rather wants to keep some of them as bargaining chips to reach a comprehensive agreement.

According to Netanyahu and the families of the prisoners in Gaza, there are 63 Israeli prisoners still in Gaza, about half of whom are not alive, but a large portion of them are soldiers.

On January 19, a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect.

It includes three stages, each lasting 42 days, with the condition that the next stage be negotiated before the current stage is completed.

However, Israel is evading the implementation of the requirements of the first phase of the agreement, as the Hamas movement previously said that it had counted several Israeli violations of the agreement, represented by delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting Palestinians in the Strip with shelling and shooting at them, obstructing the entry of shelter requirements, and delaying the entry of health sector needs.

Israel is also delaying the release of the seventh batch of Palestinian prisoners who were scheduled to be released on Saturday, in exchange for Hamas releasing 6 living Israeli prisoners on the same day, and 4 bodies on Thursday.

On Sunday morning, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners would continue until the next batch was released, without what it described as “humiliating ceremonies”.

In addition, Israel is procrastinating in starting negotiations on the second phase, which was supposed to start on February 3.

On Monday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced four conditions for starting the second phase, telling the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, “Israel has four conditions before moving to the second phase, which are the release of all the kidnapped (Israeli hostages), the removal of Hamas from the Gaza Strip, the disarmament of the Strip, and Israel’s control over its security.

On Sunday, US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced that he would arrive in the region on Wednesday to discuss launching the second phase of the agreement and the possibility of extending the first phase.