Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet in Jerusalem on Monday morning US secretary of state Antony Blinken as Washington steps up the diplomatic pressure to clinch a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
Mr Netanyahu told Israeli ministers on Sunday that Israel was willing to be flexible on certain issues in the negotiations with Hamas but “there are things that we cannot be flexible on, and we insist on them. We know very well how to differentiate between the two.”
He added that the principles he insists on are consistent with the outline presented by US president Joe Biden in May.
“Hamas, until now, sticks to refusal,” he added. “They didn’t even send a representative to the talks in Doha and, as a result, the pressure should be directed at Hamas and Sinwar, and not on Israel. The military pressure is strong, the policy pressure is strong – this is the path to achieve the release of the hostages.”
[ Quintuplets among Gaza’s dead as Blinken visits region amid ceasefire effortsOpens in new window ]
On Friday, after two days of talks in Doha, the US, together with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, presented bridging proposals aimed at narrowing the gaps between Israel and Hamas after more than 10 months of fighting have left 40,000 people dead in Gaza. US and Israeli officials expressed cautious optimism while admitting that significant gaps remained. Mr Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday: “We are closer than we have ever been.”
Hamas officials were less optimistic. Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said talk of progress was an “illusion”. “We are not facing a deal or real negotiations, but rather the imposing of American diktats,” he stated. Hamas said it rejected “new conditions” from Israel and called for a plan outlined by Mr Biden in late May to be implemented. Hamas insists that a ceasefire deal includes a permanent end to the fighting and a full withdrawal by Israeli forces from the coastal enclave.
However, Israel’s energy minister, Eli Cohen from Mr Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, said on Sunday that “It is clear to everyone that Israel will have security control over Gaza, which means the ability to come and carry out an operation anywhere and at any point in time.”
[ Israel-Gaza war: Blinken to arrive in Israel as US pushes for ceasefireOpens in new window ]
This, he said, included a physical presence on the Philadelphia route which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border and has been used by Hamas to smuggle weapons, including via some tunnels big enough for vehicles to travel in.
Saudi news outlet Al Sharq reported on Sunday that the US bridging proposals call for a reduction of the Israeli military presence on the Philadelphia route but not a complete withdrawal of forces. The report also said that the discussions on a permanent ceasefire would take place in the second phase of the deal, and Israel would be able to resume fighting if the parties did not reach an agreement.
The Saudi news agency also reported that the Rafah crossing would be administered by the Palestinian Authority with Israeli supervision.
“It’s quite clear that Netanyahu is aiming for the first stage only and to continue holding on to the Strip and the Americans are aligning,” a Hamas source said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has expanded its operations in Gaza into Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and western Khan Younis in the south.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7th. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 253 hostages seized in the surprise Hamas attack on that day. Some 116 hostages remain in Gaza and Israel has confirmed the deaths of 42 of them.