Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set out Israel’s redlines for a hostage and Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of a critical Doha summit on the matter Wednesday, which will be led by CIA Director William Burns.
“Any deal will allow Israel to resume fighting until all of the objectives of the war have been achieved,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
Netanyahu in the past has explained that those goals are the elimination of Hamas and the return of the remaining 120 hostages, who were seized nine months ago during the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on October 7.
His office reiterated that chief point and four others as mediating countries. Qatar and Egypt together with the United States – have appeared to break the month-long deadlock in the negotiations as talks resumed last weekend.
Netanyahu “is continuing to insist on the principles that have already been agreed to by Israel,” the PMO said.
Burns is to meet with the Qatari prime minister and the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs on Wednesday in Doha, said a source familiar with the issue who asked not to be further identified. An Israeli team is also expected to be in Egypt this week.
The PMO stressed that Israel would stand firm in those talks on the point that “There will be no smuggling of weapons to Hamas from Egypt to the Gaza border” as it laid out its second redline.
The third was “there will be no return of thousands of armed terrorists to the northern Gaza Strip.”
Fourthly, the PMO said, “Israel will maximize the number of living hostages who will be released from Hamas captivity.”
Lastly, it referred to the three-phased hostage deal unveiled on May 31 by US President Biden and reaffirmed its commitment to it, but provided its understanding of the deal.
“The plan that has been agreed to by Israel and which has been welcomed by President [Joe] Biden will allow Israel to return hostages without infringing on the other objectives of the war,” the PMO stated.
It also pushed back at criticism over its military campaign against the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah, stating that Netanyahu’s “steadfast position against the attempt to halt IDF action in Rafah is what has led Hamas to enter negotiations.”
Hamas last week said it would set aside one of the key stumbling blocks to the deal, which had been its insistence that Israel must agree to a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza.
The deal had attempted to bypass that issue, by creating an initial six-week phase, during which there would be a lull in the fighting and the release of humanitarian hostages. The number of those to be freed has varied from 33 to 18.
Talks on the issue of a permanent ceasefire would begin on the 16th day of phase one. The second phase, which includes the release of all the remaining live hostages, would not begin until the issue of a permanent ceasefire is resolved.
Altering the deal
Hamas has attempted to insert language into the agreement by which talks would continue beyond the six weeks until an agreement was reached. Israel fears it could create a de-facto situation by which there would be a permanent ceasefire without the release of hostages and the removal of Hamas from Gaza.
Two Hamas officials told Reuters that it had provided the mediators with its amendments to the deal, and were waiting to hear from Israel.
Another Palestinian official with knowledge of the ceasefire deliberations said Israel was in talks with the Qataris and that a response was expected within days.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said the proposal could lead to a framework agreement if embraced by Israel and would end the war.
Hezbollah has said it would stop its cross-border war with Israel if a Gaza ceasefire is reached. In a visit to the North, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said a diplomatic solution to Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon should not be dependent on a Gaza ceasefire.
“These are two separate arenas,” Gallant said.
“Even if we reach an agreement for a hostage deal, and I very much hope that we will be able to achieve it – it does not bind us on what happens here unless Hezbollah reaches a framework or agreement.
“Even if there is a ceasefire there [in the South], here [in the North] we will continue fighting and doing everything necessary to bring about the desired result [bringing Israeli communities home safely],” he stated.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid attacked Netanyahu for needlessly setting out redlines.
“We are at a critical moment in the negotiations, the lives of the abductees depend on it, why issue such provocative messages? How does it contribute to the process?” he asked.
Reuters contributed to this report.