Members of Israel’s negotiation team have reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the behavior of their new leader, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu appointed Dermer, one of his most trusted advisors, to lead the team last month after sidelining Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar. Dermer is seen as more closely aligned with Netanyahu’s less flexible stance in the negotiations compared to the security chiefs’ approach.
The security officials had argued that Israel should be willing to make concessions to Hamas to secure the release of hostages, who are enduring perilous conditions. However, Netanyahu and Dermer have taken a firmer position, one which U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff seemed to describe on Friday as focusing on intensifying military pressure on Hamas.
This harder line has led Netanyahu and Dermer to abandon the phased ceasefire agreement Israel had signed in January, which was meant to initiate its second phase in early March. This phase envisioned the release of the remaining hostages in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the end of the war.
Netanyahu has firmly stated that he will not end the conflict until Hamas’s military and governing infrastructure has been dismantled. Instead, Netanyahu and Dermer have pushed for an extension of phase one, under which Hamas would release more hostages.
Acknowledging Israel’s resistance to the second phase, Witkoff proposed extending the ceasefire until the end of next month’s Passover holiday, during which five hostages would be released in exchange for numerous Palestinian security prisoners.
Hamas rejected the offer, prompting Israel to resume military action on March 18 after a hiatus of nearly two months. An Israeli member of the negotiation team told Channel 12 on Saturday, “the Dermer-Witkoff axis has failed.”
“We need professionals who act swiftly and respond quickly to developments, without wasting time. An understanding of [US President Donald] Trump alone is not enough,” the source said.
The source also explained that the military pressure from the previous year led Hamas to agree to a hostage deal in January, but Israel’s strategy since then has diminished the progress made in those negotiations.
Furthermore, the source criticized Dermer for not maintaining the pace set by previous Israeli negotiators, instead choosing to fly to Washington with National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to discuss unrelated issues.
“If there is no agreement very soon, we will slide into a full return to war. Instead of dedicating time to intensive negotiations and reaching agreements, [Israel] is stringing the talks along aimlessly,” the source warned.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former member of the war cabinet, echoed similar concerns during an interview with Channel 12, stating: “[Dermer] isn’t functioning. He needs to be replaced. We need someone that knows how to deal with this 24/7, invest energy and not hold a discussion once every two weeks.”
A meeting among top ministers and security officials, originally scheduled for Thursday to discuss the hostage negotiations, was postponed to allow Netanyahu to move forward with his decision to dismiss Shin Bet Chief Bar. The meeting was rescheduled to Saturday evening, but a senior Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries told The Times of Israel on Friday that progress remains unlikely as long as Israel continues its renewed military operations in Gaza.
Interestingly, Bar was invited to the Saturday meeting despite the government’s intention to dismiss him. The dismissal is expected to take effect next month, but the High Court of Justice intervened on Friday with an injunction that halts the process until the court completes its review of petitions challenging the move.
Witkoff, on the other hand, argued on Friday that Hamas has returned to the negotiating table following Israel’s military actions.
Last week, Yediot Achronot reported that Dermer and Netanyahu intervened to halt direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas aimed at securing the release of Idan Alexander, the last remaining hostage with U.S. citizenship believed to still be alive.
The report also claimed that Dermer unsuccessfully tried to prevent hostages’ families from meeting with President Trump earlier this month. Dermer denied both allegations.
Barnea and Bar, who negotiated the most recent agreement, succeeded in securing the release of 33 women, children, men over 50, and others considered humanitarian cases in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including more than 270 serving life sentences for killing dozens of Israelis.
Since then, Dermer has been unable to secure the release of additional hostages. The stalled negotiations have led to growing public protests demanding a hostage deal, further fueled by the government’s attempts to remove Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
{Matzav.com}

The post Hostage Negotiation Team Expresses Displeasure with Actions of Netanyahu’s New Leader Appointment first appeared on Matzav.com.