‘Sinwar is the obstacle to the agreement, not me’: PM approves delegation to head to Cairo talks

“Sinwar is the obstacle to the agreement, not the Prime Minister,” the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday evening, as it also revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the hostage deal delegation to leave for Cairo as early as Saturday night or Sunday to continue negotiations.

“The Prime Minister is willing to go a long way to release our precious captives, while maintaining Israel’s security and preventing conditions that would allow Hamas to regain control of the Gaza Strip, threaten Israel, and resume the atrocities of October 7,” the statement read. 

The statement came following a Friday N12 report that stated that heads of Israel’s security organizations pressured Netanyahu into accepting a current version of the deal at a Wednesday meeting, while expressing doubt in the prime minister’s interest to even reach a deal.

The report quoted Mossad Chief David Barnea as saying, “There is a deal. If we delay, we may miss the opportunity – we have to take it.”

“The report is incorrect. The head of the Mossad did not say there is a ready deal that needs to be accepted,” the PMO’s statement began.

“The statement that ‘Hamas supposedly agreed to the terms of the deal’ is false. It is still unclear if Hamas has even backed down from its demand that Israel commit to ending the war, completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and refrain from returning to fighting,” the PMO said in regards to the status of the current hostage deal agreement.

“Moreover, no agreement has yet been reached on the number of living hostages to be released, Israel’s presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, a mechanism to prevent the entry of terrorists and weapons from the Netzarim route, and other important details,” the PMO continued.

Alternations in the deal? PMO says no

The PMO also addressed claims that Netanyahu was trying to change and make additions to the deal proposal which resulted in delays.

“All the demands that Israel insists on are in accordance with the framework [that US President Joe Biden announced in May.] Contrary to what is claimed, the Prime Minister did not add anything to these demands. It is Hamas that demanded dozens of changes to the framework.”

N12‘s report also claimed that Netanyahu angrily responded to the allegations, saying, “You are scumbags, you don’t know how to negotiate. You are putting words in my mouth! Instead of putting pressure on me, put pressure on Sinwar.” 

The report ended with Senior officials in the security system claiming “Netanyahu does not want a deal at this time. He refuses to budge even though we make it clear to him that [Israel’s] defense system knows how to deal with the implications of the deal. He gave up on the hostages.”  

This report comes following statements made by US President Joe Biden, where he appeared to blame Netanyahu for the absence of a deal, at Joint Base Andrews base in Maryland, late Thursday night.

“We have the basis for a ceasefire, he [Netanyahu] should move on it, and he should move on it now,” Biden said, referencing the three-phased proposal that he revealed during a special press conference on the Middle East at the end of May.

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

JPost