Israeli Defense Minister calls on the Israeli government to take advantage of the current opportunity to conclude a deal to return prisoners and not waste the opportunity
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Monday called on his government to take advantage of the current opportunity to reach a deal to return prisoners in the Gaza Strip and not waste it.
This came amid domestic accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to sabotage current efforts to reach a deal with Hamas.
Gallant said, during a meeting with a number of prisoners’ families, “The security system in Israel in all its branches sees the return of the abductees as a central goal that must be advanced towards, and we must do everything to take advantage of the opportunity currently presented”.
Gallant claimed that military pressure in Gaza has created the conditions that make it possible to move forward with the deal.
“The security apparatus knows how to stop the fighting and resume it anywhere in Gaza as needed,” he said.
Gallant concluded his statement by saying, “We must take advantage of military pressure to move the deal forward and not miss it”.
In the next few days, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to be renewed with the mediation of Egypt and Qatar to reach a prisoner exchange agreement between the two sides and a ceasefire that would ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli delegation headed by Shin Bet security chief Ronen Barr left for Egypt to continue these negotiations, while a US delegation headed by CIA Director William Burns arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
But Israeli media warned that Netanyahu was refusing to reach the deal, fearing the dissolution of his right-wing government.
In a related context, on Monday evening, Netanyahu criticized army spokesman Daniel Hagari for saying that “Hamas will remain in the Gaza Strip for the next five years”.
Earlier Monday, Hagari said in an interview with ABC that “Israel is planning a long war against Hamas,” adding, “I think Hamas will remain in Gaza for the next five years”.
“Five years later, you and I will talk about Hamas as a terrorist organization in Gaza? The answer is yes”.
In response, Netanyahu attacked the army spokesman and said, in closed-door talks quoted by Channel 14, “There are also members of Hamas in the West Bank, but there is no Hamas rule, there are also neo-Nazis in Germany, but there is no Nazi rule”.
Netanyahu claimed that Israel will eliminate Hamas’ rule and won’t allow it to control the Gaza Strip again and threaten Israel from it.
This is not the first time Hagari has caused a stir in Israel with his remarks.
On June 19, Hagari said in an interview with Channel 13 that “Hamas is an idea that cannot be completely eliminated”.
He added during the same interview at the time, “Talking about the destruction of Hamas is like tossing sand in the eyes of the public”.
At the time, Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office in response to Hagari’s remarks, “The political-security cabinet headed by the prime minister has identified the destruction of Hamas’s military and authoritarian capabilities as one of the goals of the war”.
Netanyahu added, “The IDF is committed to that, of course”.
