During a key meeting held last week, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu informed those in attendance that Israel intends to resume military operations after a hostage agreement, if one is reached, according to a Channel 12 report.
“If there is a deal — and I hope there will be — Israel will return to fighting afterward. There is no point in pretending otherwise because returning to fighting is needed in order to complete the goals of the war. Saying this does not thwart a deal, it encourages a deal,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Channel 12.
This statement raised further concerns among members of the team involved in hostage negotiations, who worry that such comments, especially when made public, have complicated efforts to finalize a deal. Hamas has demanded a permanent ceasefire in exchange for the hostages, which has made negotiations more challenging, the network reports.
Netanyahu has advocated for a temporary ceasefire agreement, which would see about one-third of the remaining 100 hostages released. While Hamas has shown some flexibility in recent weeks, it continues to seek assurances from mediators that the initial phase of any agreement will lead to subsequent phases.
The quote attributed to Netanyahu by Channel 12 closely mirrors one from a senior Israeli official, who spoke to Ynet news earlier on Monday, saying, “Even if Israel agrees to a deal, it will resume fighting afterward in order to complete the goals of the war.”
This official was responding to a prior Ynet report that cited senior security officials who warned that Netanyahu’s failure to plan for post-war Gaza management could result in Hamas regaining full control over Gaza, as it had before the war ignited by the group’s October 7 attack.
The security establishment has consistently urged Netanyahu to develop a viable alternative to Hamas and has supported the idea of enabling the Palestinian Authority to establish a presence in Gaza. However, Netanyahu has rejected this proposal, equating the PA, which supports a two-state solution, with Hamas.
For several months, Netanyahu has emphasized that he directed the security establishment to create a strategy to sever Hamas’s control over humanitarian aid, which has been a critical means of the group maintaining authority in Gaza. Yet, this effort has stalled, as the refusal to cooperate with the PA has hindered progress, according to a security official cited by Ynet. The plan to use foreign security contractors to protect aid convoys has also failed, due to a lack of funding and political backing.
Israeli officials who support the idea had hoped that countries like the United Arab Emirates would finance the contractors, but Abu Dhabi has repeatedly made it clear that it will not engage in post-war Gaza management unless the PA is reformed and an Israeli-approved path to a two-state solution is established.
{Matzav.com}
