ISRAELI, HAMAS DELEGATIONS ARRIVE IN CAIRO AMID MIXED SIGNALS

Israeli, Hamas Delegations Arrive in Cairo Amid Mixed Signals

Israel has been broadcasting contradictory messages. On the one hand, the war cabinet agreed to continue the talks, and on the other, political sources call the negotiations a 'deception', and an effort to undercut the Rafah operation

May 07th, 23PM May 07th, 23PM

An Israeli delegation to the hostage negotiations arrived in Egypt Tuesday afternoon after Hamas announced it supported a revised version of a deal.

The delegation is composed of low-level officials with expertise in the relevant areas, and for now does not include the heads of Mossad or Shin Bet. The Egyptian news agency Al-Qahara said the Hamas delegation was in Cairo, as are U.S. and Qatari mediators.

The White House said Tuesday that it believed it was still possible to bridge the gaps between the versions of the deal approved respectively by Israel and Hamas. "A close assessment of the two sides' positions suggests that they should be able to close the remaining gaps, and we're going to do everything we can to support that process," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

For its part, Israel has been broadcasting contradictory messages since the Hamas announcement. On the one hand, the war cabinet agreed to continue the talks and ordered the delegation to fly to Cairo. On the other, political sources continued to call the negotiations, which are being conducted under U.S. aegis, a deception, and an effort to undercut the army's operations now underway in Rafah.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been saying for months that only military pressure will force Hamas to make a deal, said in a recorded statement to the media on Tuesday that "yesterday's Hamas proposal was intended to thwart the entry of our forces into Rafah. It did not happen."

The prime minister added that "as the war cabinet agreed unanimously, the Hamas proposal is very far from Israel's minimal requirements." Netanyahu said he had instructed the delegation going to Cairo to insist on the original terms for the return of the hostages, alongside the "vital requirements for ensuring Israel's security."

On the other hand, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the Israel Defense Forces' operations in Rafah would end immediately if a hostage agreement is reached with Hamas. Visiting Rafah, he said that the operation "will not stop until Hamas is eliminated in the area or the first hostage returns to Israel.

"We are ready to make compromises in order to [release] hostages, but if this option is not available, we will deepen the operation – it will happen all over the Strip, in the south, the center and the north," Gallant said.

Benny Gantz, the National Unity party leader and war cabinet member, said his party is demanding that all efforts for a deal be exhausted before deepening the military operation. "At any stage where we can reach an agreement for the return of our hostages, we will do so," he said, adding, "This task has top priority.

"The delegation that went to Cario doesn't just have a mandate to listen – it is obligated to turn over every stone and work to reach an agreement," said Gantz. "We're all working day in and day out to make this happen."

Israeli officials said Tuesday there were a series of problems in the Hamas proposal. While some of the problems may be solved and on others Israel is willing to show flexibility, still others may be impossible to bridge for political reasons.

"This proposal is very close to the wording that Israel had already agreed to, except for some compromises that Israel would have to accept," said a foreign source privy to the negotiations. "This is probably the only plan that Hamas can agree to. Netanyahu has to decide whether he will put aside his pride and embrace it or bury it and risk the hostages – the ball is now in Israel's court."

The main issue from Israel's point of view is that Hamas is not committing to freeing 33 living hostages, as Israel had demanded. Political sources said Tuesday that Israel did not have accurate figures on the fate of all the hostages who meet the criteria for release as part of the first stage of the proposed deal. Therefore, it is difficult to pressure Hamas on the issue.

The organization's demand to deny Israel the right of veto on the identity of the "heavy" Palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange also worries the decision-makers, but it is not clear if Hamas will agree to compromise on that.

Another demand, to allow Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip without Israeli monitoring, has already been accepted by Israel, but political officials today expressed concern that this would allow Hamas to get armed fighters to the north and reestablish a military presence there.

2024-05-07T20:14:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd