Qatar on Tuesday complained that Israel has yet to respond to the ceasefire-hostage deal proposal that Hamas said it accepted earlier this month, adding that it does not believe Jerusalem is interested in reaching an agreement. Egypt, another mediator in the stalled talks, has reportedly conveyed its “disappointment, frustration and anger” to Israel over its lack of response.
The comments came as major protests took place across Israel, demanding that the government sign a deal to bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza, and as the security cabinet met in Jerusalem to approve the military’s plans to conquer Gaza City, with reports saying that the forum did not discuss the ceasefire proposal on the table.
In a press briefing to local reporters, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said that Doha has not yet received a response from Israel to the latest ceasefire and hostage deal proposal, and that the offer on the table “matches 90 percent of what Israel wants.
“The ball is now in Israel’s court, and it seems that it does not want to reach an agreement,” Ansari said.
Earlier this month, following Israel’s decision to move forward with the conquest of Gaza City, Hamas said it had accepted a proposed agreement that would see 10 living hostages exchanged for Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce that could be extended to a second phase if the sides agreed to terms on a permanent ceasefire.
In exchange for each living hostage, the deal would see Israel release 60 Palestinian security prisoners serving sentences of at least 15 years, including a total of 140 prisoners serving life sentences. Israel would also hand over 1,000 Gazans detained without charge by the IDF since October 7. In addition, for each slain hostage’s body, 10 bodies of dead Palestinian prisoners would be returned, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Israel has yet to formally discuss the proposal, which is nearly identical to one that it agreed to earlier this year, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shifting toward favoring a “comprehensive framework” for an end to the war and the release of all hostages, instead of the phased deal that has been under discussion for months.
Security cabinet meets, doesn’t discuss deal
On Tuesday afternoon, Netanyahu convened the security cabinet for a meeting at his office in Jerusalem to approve operational plans for the next stages of the IDF operation in Gaza City.
After the meeting ended, Channel 12 news reported that Israel again emphasized to Egypt, one of the key mediators in talks, that it is not interested in a phased deal and will only agree to a comprehensive deal that returns all the hostages held in Gaza and ends the war.
Israel has said its conditions for ending the war are the release of all remaining hostages at once, the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, overall Israeli security control of the territory, and the transfer of governance to a body that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
According to the TV report, Netanyahu told ministers at the meeting that his stance on a comprehensive framework has not changed, and that he is moving ahead with the expanded operation to capture Gaza City to pressure Hamas to meet his conditions.
According to multiple reports, the security cabinet meeting was moved up to 4 p.m. — and ended by 7 p.m. — because of an exclusive dinner event hosted Tuesday evening by the West Bank’s Mateh Binyamin Regional Council chief Israel Ganz in Jerusalem’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood, reportedly to celebrate the recent legalization of a string of settlement outposts in the West Bank..................
Continued @ : https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-cabinet-meeting-glosses-over-deal-mediators-say-israel-ignoring-hamas-proposal/
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