The negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages are on the verge of falling apart, according to an unnamed Israeli source who spoke to Walla news. Israel is reportedly in discussions with the United States and other mediators concerning the 602 Palestinian security prisoners who were scheduled for release on Saturday.
Late Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the decision to delay the release of these prisoners. His reasoning was that Hamas needed to provide assurances that it would put an end to highly publicized and orchestrated ceremonies when handing over hostages or the bodies of those who died in captivity.
However, the Israeli source tells Walla that Hamas had already agreed to transfer the bodies of four hostages—marking the final step in the first stage of the agreement—without any public spectacle.
Despite this apparent concession aligning with the initial conditions Netanyahu set for freeing the 602 security prisoners, the source claims the prime minister then took a firmer stance. He reportedly informed mediators that Hamas’s verbal commitment was insufficient and that Israel would not proceed with the prisoner release until the slain hostages’ remains were physically in Israeli hands.
“Unfortunately, there are people in the government who are more interested in Hamas’s ceremonies than they are in returning civilians for burial in Israel,” an official tells Walla.
In response, the Prime Minister’s Office rejects these claims, calling them “more fake news from the echoes of Hamas propaganda.”
“Through his aggressive stance, the prime minister has already returned 192 hostages and he is determined to return them all,” the PMO states.
{Matzav.com Israel}