Netanyahu said that a hostage deal was potentially in reach but that Hamas hasn’t yet formally responded to the new framework hammered out on Saturday.
He said Hamas’s original demands were “delusional.” They included, among other things, the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, many of which Hamas would choose, and a permanent cease-fire.
“If they come down to a reasonable situation, then yes we can have a hostage deal,” Netanyahu told CBS.
Netanyahu said senior Israeli commanders planned on Sunday to present him with a plan to both evacuate civilians from Rafah to areas north of the town, which Israel has already largely cleared of Hamas’s forces, and then a separate plan to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions in Rafah. Israel’s military has destroyed 18 of 24 Hamas battalions, with four remaining in Rafah, Israeli officials have said.
Mediators in the Paris meeting said Hamas was showing flexibility on how long the pause in fighting should last, the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the first phase of the agreement and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas was also willing to drop its demand for a permanent cease-fire and instead accept negotiations at a later stage to reach that goal. Hamas, however, remains insistent that the Israeli military withdraw from parts of the strip to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, Egyptian officials said. The group is still demanding the release of those serving long jail sentences in violence-linked cases, while a further release of Israeli hostages during the cease-fire would be dependent on progress in talks toward an end to the war, the officials said.
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