Priority is to retrieve hostages: Israeli officials
Diplomats at Israel’s Foreign Ministry say they are not looking at any winning formula but only at getting back the hostages; another official, while admitting that the pullback from Khan Younis is their way of facilitating talks, says war is far from ov
As domestic and international pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a truce with Hamas in return for the release of hostages, a senior diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) here said Israel’s immediate priority now is to bring the hostages back home.
“At this point we are not looking at any winning formula. We want hostages back. That is what our urgent priority is,” said the diplomat who requested anonymity to discuss the crisis freely.
His comments came a few days after Israel withdrew all combat troops from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis and joined talks with a Hamas delegation in
Cairo in the presence of Egyptian, Qatari and American officials.
The decision to pull back troops triggered criticism from Mr. Netanyahu’s farright allies who want the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to go ahead with the plan to attack Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza where over 1.4 million Palestinians.
But Mr. Netanyahu has played down reports that the pullback was a concession, saying he has authorised the Rafah invasion plan and has even decided a date.
Boaz Bismuth, a Member of parliament from Mr. Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, echoed the Prime Minister’s sentiments. “The war in Gaza has two objectives. We have to bring back the refugees and we must win the war”.
‘No scope for ceasefire’
Speaking to a group of visiting journalists in a committee room at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, Mr. Bismuth ruled out a ceasefire in Gaza. “How can we have a ceasefire with Hamas when they are still holding hostages.”
Asked how long the war will last, Mr. Bismuth said, “We are not asking for years like the Americans fought ISIS. In six months, our soldiers have made substantial progress in Gaza. Maybe in another six months, we could meet our goals.”
A second diplomat at the MFA, who also requested anonymity, however, did not rule out a direct link between the Khan Younis pullback and the
Cairo talks.
“You can see the pullback as a measure from our side to facilitate talks. But that doesn’t mean that the war is over,” the diplomat said.
Asked if a hostage deal in Cairo would translate to a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the first diplomat said, “I hope so. At the MFA, our focus is on the diplomatic efforts. We are open to a hostage deal and ready for tough decisions. After that I cannot guarantee what direction the war will take. I hope there would be a ceasefire. But it would depend on all lot of other factors.”
Hamas took 253 people as hostages in their October 7 attack which killed at least 1,200 people. Of the hostages, 129 are still in captivity. Some of them are believed to be dead. At least 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 75,000 injured in Gaza in Israel’s offensive ever since.
Talks will resume in Cairo on Thursday. After the first round on Monday, Egyptian officials had claimed progress, but Hamas and Israeli sides were ambiguous about the possibility of a deal.
According to Israeli media, Israel has demanded the release of 40 hostages in the first round. Hamas, on the other side, demands Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza. One IDF battalion is still in Gaza, carving out a security zone in the north.
Yossi Zilberman, deputy spokesperson of the MFA, however, said on Tuesday that the Rafah attack plan will proceed as planned.
(The correspondent is in Israel at an invitation from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs)