Netanyahu meets with aides on hostages amid logjam in talks

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meeting with aides Tzachi Braverman, second right, Ophir Falk, second left, and Gal Hirsch, on July 29, 2025. (Prime Minister's Office)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meeting with aides Tzachi Braverman, second right, Ophir Falk, second left, and Gal Hirsch, on July 29, 2025. (Prime Minister's Office)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a meeting with top advisers on the topic of hostages in Gaza, his office says, with ceasefire talks stuck and international pressure on Israel growing.

Netanyahu is joined by government hostage point man Gal Hirsch, political adviser Ophir Falk, and chief of staff Tzachi Braverman, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Talks are frozen,” an Israeli defense official tells The Times of Israel. “Hamas still hasn’t come back to the table” with a better offer.

The US and Israel pulled their negotiators out of Qatar last week, citing frustration with Hamas’s response to the latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage release proposal.

Netanyahu will hold consultations on Gaza over the next two days, says the Israeli official.

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