Israeli Chief of Staff: We must seize the current opportunity to reach an exchange agreement with Hamas
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir confirmed in closed sessions that military pressure has created the appropriate conditions for the return of prisoners, calling for exploiting the current opportunity to reach a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
He added that the intense military action in the Gaza Strip has contributed to undermining the cohesion within Hamas, potentially opening the way for a breakthrough on the prisoners’ issue.
These statements coincide with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to withdraw the Israeli delegation from the Doha talks, a move that indicates a stagnation in the official position, despite what observers describe as a consensus within the security services regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement at the present time.
In a related context, a senior security official revealed to Israeli Channel 12 that the ongoing military operation is creating a rift between Hamas’ leadership both domestically and abroad, stressing that this division could contribute to creating new negotiating opportunities in Israel’s favor.
Israel continues to expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip, with three additional brigades entering the battlefield amid mounting international pressure and intense demands for progress on the prisoner issue.
