Netanyahu: Israeli conditions for phase two are Hamas disarmament and removal from Gaza, no PA rule

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers during a recent meeting that Israel’s conditions in upcoming negotiations on the terms of the hostage deal’s second phase are for Hamas to disarm, for the terror group to have no presence in Gaza and for the Palestinian Authority to be barred from the the post-war management of Gaza, Channel 12 reports.

It’s unclear whether those demands can coalesce with the effort to release all remaining Israeli hostages, with some analysts speculating that the only way to accomplish the latter goal will be to end the war with Hamas still in Gaza in some form.

Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that there would be a separate meeting held regarding the phase two negotiations before the Israeli delegation departs for Doha.

The delegation will be headed by Netanyahu confidant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer after the premier pushed aside the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad and IDF hostage point man Nitzan Alon with whom he sparred throughout the negotiations. The security chiefs have long felt that a deal could and should have been reached earlier but that political considerations in Israel hampered those efforts.

Netanyahu asked ministers not to leak what was being discussed in the meeting, explaining that doing so risks the lives of the hostages.

Fifty-nine Israelis remain will remain in captivity after the completion of phase one. Twenty-four of them are believed to be alive, while 35 of them have been confirmed dead by Israeli authorities.

As Israel readies for negotiations regarding phase two, it is also preparing for the potential resumption of the war, with large amounts of troops and equipment being amassed along the Gaza border, Channel 12 says, acknowledging that a return to fighting will be substantial but complex, given that roughly two dozen hostages are still being held throughout Gaza.