Kidnapped families block Ayalon, February 23, 2024/Danor Aharon
The War Cabinet is expected to convene on Thursday to discuss the impasse in the deal negotiations for the release of the abductees, and according to two senior Israeli officials, the members of the Israeli negotiating team are expected to ask Prime Minister Netanyahu and the members of the cabinet to expand the mandate they have been given so far.
This, in an attempt to get out of the deadlock in the talks.
why is it important:
A senior Israeli official said that Hamas has made several concessions in recent weeks, such as reducing the number of prisoners it demands to be released and removing the preconditions for the end of the war and the withdrawal of IDF forces.
According to him, one of the assessments of the negotiating team is that Hamas has exhausted its ability to be flexible at this stage, as long as Israel does not make further flexibility on its part beyond the outline presented in Paris about two weeks ago.
"The key to the deal is with Hamas."
Biden/Reuters
What they say:
"The members of the negotiating team claim that it is necessary to say goodbye to the existing premise and come to the negotiations with updated positions that will make it possible to reach a deal. The political echelon - Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz - do not agree with them," said a second Israeli senior official.
An attempt to break the deadlock in the negotiation talks. The Red Cross vehicle/official website, no
The big picture:
US President Joe Biden said in a conversation with reporters when he made his way to the White House from Camp David that Israel is cooperating and that the key to the hostage deal and a ceasefire is in the hands of Hamas. According to him, within a few days it will become clear whether a deal can be reached.
The Prime Minister of Qatar, Muhammad Abd al-Rahman al-Thani - who is considered one of the two main mediators in the negotiations on the hostage deal - met today in Washington with US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and discussed with him the progress of the talks.
The Qatari Prime Minister told Blinken at the beginning of their meeting that Qatar will continue to work to achieve a deal to release the abductees in exchange for a ceasefire "despite all those who try to undermine the efforts to achieve peace".
He added: "We want to end the humanitarian suffering in Gaza and want the abductees to return to their families."
Blinken said that there is an opportunity to achieve an immediate ceasefire that will bring the abductees home and dramatically improve the amount of aid that enters Gaza.
"Hamas is the one who has to make a decision as to whether it is ready to reach a ceasefire," said the US Secretary of State.
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Negotiation