In the past day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a conference call with government ministers and head of Mossad David Barnea, who returned from negotiations for the hostage deal in Paris. During the charged conversation, Netanyahu said that "we need to be tougher in negotiations."
Channel 13 reported Sunday evening that Israeli officials were divided regarding the reason for the reprimand. Israeli officials said it centered around the debate concerning how much humanitarian aid Israel would allow into the Strip. On the other hand, other sources involved in the negotiations claimed that "Netanyahu made a show in preparation of the departure of the junior delegation to Qatar."
It was also reported that Netanyahu asked as a condition for progress in the negotiations to know which of the hostages is alive.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in response, "The report is fundamentally incorrect. Between the Prime Minister and the head of the Mossad there is a professional, reliable and good dialogue, which is based on mutual partnership and a united purpose."
Prime Minister speaks of deal
Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister was interviewed by CBS and said that "We are working towards a deal, but I cannot say if we will achieve it. We will reach a deal if Hamas comes back to reality."
The Prime Minister spoke of his appreciation of the efforts of the mediating countries, and emphasized that "Hamas started with crazy demands. It is too early to say if they abandoned them, if they bring reasonable demands, an agreement can be reached."
Netanyahu also referred to a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold in the Gaza Strip, and emphasized: "After we start an operation in Rafah, the war in Gaza will end in a few weeks. But it is impossible to leave Hamas’s last stronghold without dealing with it. If we achieve a hostage deal, the operation in Rafah will be delayed a little, but if there is no deal, we will take action in Rafah."