PM toughens negotiating stance as intel shows weakening of Hamas forces – report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a debate at the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, June 24, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a debate at the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, June 24, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israeli and American officials say Hamas has softened some of its stances in hostage talks, according to Axios, which reports that intelligence assessments indicate the terror group wants a ceasefire due to its weakening military position.

An Israeli official involved in the negotiations tells the news site that this intelligence has led Netanyahu to toughen Israel’s demands for a deal, explaining that the premier “is trying to use Hamas’s weakness to get as much as he can out of the negotiations.”

“But there is a risk that he will go too far and the negotiations collapse,” the official says, adding that the premier wants a deal but is willing to play hardball.

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