Israeli officials express optimism about Gaza cease-fire talks with Hamas
Senior Israeli officials said progress has been made in negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza that would include the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, a move that drew criticism from farright ministers who threatened to bring down the government.
“We’ve reached a critical point,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Army
Radio on Monday. “If matters work out, a large number of hostages will return home and then, in stages, everyone. But remember that we are dealing with Hamas and there is not a lot of time. I am more optimistic than I was.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told military recruits that progress in the war has allowed Israel “to make difficult decisions to return the hostages. I think we are at an appropriate point.” A session of the security cabinet, which generally meets on Thursday evening, has been called for Tuesday, TV channels reported.
The comments were the most positive in months from top officials on the talks between Israel and Hamas, which have been mediated by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. Just last week, Israeli officials said large gaps remained between the two sides, with the Iran-backed militant group demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza before any hostages would be freed.
Yet international pressure has intensified on the Israelis since a missile strike killed seven aid workers delivering food to displaced Palestinians a week ago, with President Joe Biden telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that ongoing U.S. support depends on improved steps by Israel to protect civilians in Gaza.
On Sunday, Netanyahu announced a withdrawal of combat troops from the city of Khan Younis after four months of fighting, the first significant scaling back of ground forces since a week-long ceasefire that ended in early December. Some have interpreted the move as a signal to Hamas that a deal is on the table.
Israeli assets rallied on Monday, in part because of optimism that a truce is nearer. The main stock index gained 1.5% as of 12:30 p.m. in Tel Aviv, while the shekel strengthened 1.3% against the dollar to head for its second-best daily performance of the year.
The scaling back of ground forces — alongside the ministers’ comments — angered Netanyahu’s farright coalition partners who want the war to continue until Hamas has been destroyed. They threatened to bring down the government if there’s a permanent cease-fire, or the prime minister decides against an offensive on the Gazan city of Rafah — seen as the last bastion of Hamas and its leaders.
Gallant said the soldiers were being withdrawn from Khan Younis so they could prepare for an eventual invasion of Rafah. Yet it’s still raised the idea that the long-promised attack may not happen, something which is alarming some of the far-right coalition partners on which Netanyahu relies to keep his government intact.
“If the prime minister decides to end the war without an extensive attack on Rafah in order to defeat Hamas, he will not have a mandate to continue serving as Prime Minister,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, posted on
X.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, from the Religious Zionism party, called on Netanyahu to convene an urgent meeting of the extended cabinet to discuss the developments in the war.
“I have been warning for weeks that instead of taking our foot off the gas we should increase the pressure on Hamas in Gaza, and this is the only way we can return the abductees and destroy Hamas,” he said.