Watan-As the ceasefire in Gaza enters its 20th day, Israeli hints have emerged regarding the possibility of not moving to the second phase of the agreement. The Hebrew news site Walla reported on Thursday, citing American and Israeli sources, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his plan during his visit to Washington to continue implementing the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
He proposed “extending the first phase of the agreement.” An Israeli official stated that “if Hamas does not agree to refrain from controlling Gaza, Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor (Salah al-Din Axis).”
Meanwhile, Israel has decided to send only a working delegation to the indirect negotiations regarding the continuation of the ceasefire in Gaza at this time. The delegation is set to travel to the Qatari capital, Doha, tomorrow, Saturday, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation Kan.
The delegation will include officials from the intelligence agencies “Mossad” and “Shin Bet,” among them a retired Shin Bet official. Indirect negotiations with Hamas are usually conducted by delegations led by Mossad chief David Barnea. However, sending a lower-ranking delegation may indicate that Netanyahu indeed wants to delay the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
At the same time, Israel is awaiting Hamas’s expected announcement today, Friday, regarding the names of the Israeli detainees who will be included in the fifth batch of the exchange deal. Meanwhile, the Israeli government approved, in an emergency phone vote yesterday, a change in the names of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the same batch on Saturday.
Additionally, the American news site Axios reported on Thursday, citing two Israeli officials and two other undisclosed sources, that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning to visit the region in mid-February. The report stated that Rubio plans to travel to the region after the Munich Security Conference, which begins on February 14, noting that his tour will include Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and possibly additional countries.
-
-
-
-
-
-
