Israel's security cabinet discussed on Thursday a Qatari proposal that would see the release of more hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The proposal is still in its early stages as of Friday.
According to the proposal's outline, the first phase will include a humanitarian exchange deal that will include the release of 40-50 hostages in exchange for a complete ceasefire of a few weeks, according to three senior Israeli officials.
The second phase is expected to be more complex, its details are not yet completely clear, but the direction is to arrange a withdrawal of IDF troops from the area.
Hamas 'agrees in principle' to restart hostage release negotiation
Despite the cabinet discussing the proposal, neither Israel nor Hamas have yet responded to the offer. However, a report from Walla! stated that the Hamas terror organization "agrees in principle" to resume such negotiations.
Senior Israeli officials said that this is only an initial message and Israel hopes to get clarification on it at the end of the week, the Walla! report said.
However, one official said that it was a positive development because, for the first time since the previous agreement, Hamas is signaling that it is ready to resume negotiations. "We have moved from a frozen standstill to just a very cold situation," said the official.
Another senior Israeli official said that Israel has not yet received a detailed proposal from the Qataris and is waiting to hear more details. "In any case, the gaps are still big," he said.
The efforts to renew negotiations are still centered around the proposal presented by the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, a few weeks ago in a meeting in Warsaw with the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, and with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman. The proposal discussed included the release of 40 hostages, which include women who remain captives of Hamas, men over the age of 60, and those who need urgent medical treatment.
Mossad chief forbidden by Netanyahu to attend operational discussions
Regarding Barnea, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forbade the Mossad head as well as the head of Shin Bet Ronan Bar from participating in an operational discussion with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, N12 reported on Friday.
This was following reports that the prime minister prevented Gallant from holding discussions on the issue of releasing the hostages.
The discussion was so sensitive that even the military secretaries of the heads of the defense establishment were not supposed to participate, the report noted. According to sources familiar with the matter, the military secretariat felt uncomfortable with Netanyahu's order.
N12 quoted the Prime Minister's Office's response to the controversy, stating that "Netanyahu does not limit the head of the Mossad. He can attend any discussion subject to his schedule. The war management cabinet is the forum that outlines policy and determines regarding the prisoners and the missing, and there is no interruption."