Netanyahu meets with military and political leaders to discuss options after prisoner negotiations stall
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a meeting on Tuesday with political and military officials to discuss options after he disrupted indirect negotiations with Hamas regarding a prisoner exchange and the status of the still ongoing war in Gaza.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation added on Sunday evening that Netanyahu “will hold a meeting with military and political leaders to discuss the future of military operations in Gaza and options for dealing with the hostages’ issue in light of the faltering negotiations with Hamas”.
Regarding the meeting’s timing, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said, “The discussion won’t be held until Tuesday, in light of the disagreement over the various combat options”.
Meanwhile, there is no plan for a comprehensive agreement with Hamas has been put forward, despite multiple statements.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted unnamed sources involved in the negotiations as saying, “We’re stuck at a dead end, and the statements about a comprehensive agreement do not match each other; they are the same thing and its opposite”.
On the othr hand, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned on Monday that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is dragging Israel into an “eternal war” in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Army Radio quoted Lapid as saying, “The government’s political leadership is dragging us into an eternal war in Gaza without returning the kidnapped soldiers,” referring to the Israeli hostages.
Lapid said, “We were right to wage this war, but it has become pointless… It crushes our international efforts and does not bring back the kidnapped soldiers”.
He also warned that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir want to reoccupy the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has repeatedly declared its willingness to release Israeli hostages in one batch in exchange for an end to the war, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, has evaded the offer by proposing new conditions, including the disarmament of Palestinian factions, and is currently insisting on reoccupying Gaza.
