Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Sunday to dispatch an Israeli negotiating team to hostage talks on Thursday, as he prepared to travel to Washington on Monday.
The elusive hostage deal to secure the release of the remaining 120 hostages in Gaza, will be on the agenda of the meeting Netanyahu is expected to hold with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
On Sunday Netanyahu “held an in-depth discussion on the issue of the hostages together with the negotiation team and senior security officials,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“Netanyahu gave instructions for a negotiation team to head out this Thursday” for further talks, the PMO said.
It did not specify where the talks would be held. Egypt and Qatar have been the main mediating counts for such talks, holding intense rounds of negotiations in Cairo and Doha two weeks ago.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commends Netanyahu
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commended Netanyahu for dispatching a negotiating team and wished him luck during his trip to the US.
“As a result of our military achievements during this war, the conditions have been created and a limited window of opportunity has opened to establish a framework for the release of the hostages,” Gallant said.
“The defense establishment backs you in your mission to bring about an agreement,” he said.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum attacked Netanyahu for waiting until Thursday to send out a negotiating team, accusing him of dragging his feet and explaining that the hostages were out of time.
“Every day they face endless suffering and [are at risk for] imminent death,” the Forum said.
“To our great regret, the Prime Minister is going to Washington without a deal and now it turns out that he will also return without a deal,” they stated.