Official from mediating country slams Netanyahu’s demands as harming talk prospects

A senior official from one of the countries mediating between Israel and Hamas accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the hostage deal, which has been gaining momentum in recent days, with his latest statement pledging to resume the war, even after the staged ceasefire deal goes into effect.

The senior official speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity says that this non-negotiable demand publicized by Netanyahu’s office hits at the most sensitive aspect of the ongoing negotiations, as Hamas is seeking assurances from the mediators that Israel will not resume fighting after the first stage of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The official says the mediators have succeeded in bringing Hamas down from an earlier demand for an up-front commitment from Israel to end the war upon the start of the first stage of the agreement.

They have instead kept in place relatively open-ended language regarding the transition from phase one to phase two that allows both Israel to feel comfortable enough that it has the ability to resume fighting if Hamas ceases to negotiate in good faith, and Hamas to feel comfortable enough that the mediators will prevent Israel from resuming the war instead of implementing the permanent ceasefire that is stage two of the deal.

“Statements like the one made by the prime minister severely harm efforts to maintain that ambiguity,” the senior official from the mediating country says.

“One cannot help but conclude that they are being made for purely political purposes,” the official adds, referencing Netanyahu’s desire to appease far-right coalition partners who oppose the hostage deal under discussion.