Netanyahu reverses key Israeli concession in ceasefire talks
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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's new demand could potentially upend progress in hostage negotiations.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reversed a key Israeli concession in ceasefire negotiations, demanding that armed men be barred from returning to northern Gaza during an eventual ceasefire, an Israeli source familiar with the talks told CNN.
Israel had previously agreed to allow Palestinians unrestricted access to northern Gaza during an eventual ceasefire, but the Prime Minister told his negotiating team this week to demand that armed men be barred from northern Gaza as part of any ceasefire and hostage deal, the source said.
The new demand could potentially upend progress in hostage negotiations and raises further questions about Mr Netanyahu’s commitment to Israel’s own proposal for a deal that has become the basis for detailed negotiations.
Last week, a US official told CNN that a framework agreement was “in place”, and an Israeli official said Mr Netanyahu had authorised his negotiators to enter into detailed negotiations, signalling a potential breakthrough.
Talks resumed in the Qatari capital of Doha on July 5. Over the weekend, Hamas agreed to compromise on a major sticking point for Israel – that the Jewish state commit to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza before signing an agreement.
But a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on July 7 cast doubt on whether the deal would progress, laying out several “principles” Israel is not prepared to abandon, including resumed fighting in Gaza “until all objectives of the war have been achieved”.
Israel launched its war on Gaza nine months ago, in response to Hamas’ Oct 7 attack that killed 1,200 people, with more than 250 others taken hostage, according to the Israeli authorities. The war has left swathes of the enclave unrecognisable, displaced almost the entire population and killed more than 38,000 people, according to the Health Ministry there.
Israel had said it would not end the war until all hostages are freed and Hamas is eliminated.
CNN has contacted the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for comment. CNN
