PNN – Hebrew media outlets, stating that no progress has yet been made in the negotiations regarding the ceasefire and prisoner exchange in Gaza, emphasized that Netanyahu is not showing any flexibility in the proposals for a prisoner exchange agreement and is leading this process to failure.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, while the pressure from the families of Zionist prisoners and Israeli public opinion in general to end the war and release Israeli prisoners from Gaza has increased significantly, Hebrew media reported that Benjamin Netanyahu, the regime’s Prime Minister, is defeating all proposals for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
Hebrew media quoted Israeli officials as saying that ongoing negotiations to reach a prisoner exchange agreement have made no progress so far, and that Netanyahu has shown no flexibility regarding amending the recent proposal by Steve Witkoff, the US government’s envoy to the Middle East.
Read more:
Gaza in death and famine; UN officials cry out to the Security Council
In this regard, the Israeli I24 News network reported, quoting a regime official: Netanyahu and Israel continue to make it clear in the ongoing negotiations in Doha that only Witkoff’s previous proposal is possible to reach an agreement.
Yaron Abraham, a reporter for Israel’s Channel 12 television, quoted a senior government official as saying that Israel is committed to Witkoff’s previous proposal and that the war will not end until all prisoners are returned and Hamas surrenders.
It should be noted that the Witkoff proposal, which was presented about two months ago regarding the Gaza ceasefire, included a 45-day ceasefire and a series of initial steps towards a permanent ceasefire, and did not explicitly talk about a permanent cessation of the war; rather, it focused on the prisoner exchange issue, which is what the Zionists wanted.
However, Hebrew circles reported that the recent agreement between the US government and Hamas to release Eidan Alexander, a dual American-Israeli citizen, has angered Israel. After Alexander’s release, the families of the prisoners expressed their dissatisfaction with the Netanyahu cabinet’s delay in reaching an agreement to release all Israeli prisoners from Gaza.
On the other hand, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Aharonot reported, quoting a senior Zionist official: We hope to enter into effective negotiations for the release of the hostages (Zionist prisoners). We insist on releasing half of them all at once, not in stages, and the other half after reaching an agreement.
The Hebrew media added: This comes as talks on Gaza are set to take place this week in Doha, and Netanyahu has ordered a negotiating team to be sent to Qatar with the aim of holding talks under fire. Witkoff met with families of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza in Tel Aviv on Tuesday and told reporters that he would bring them all home.