Qatar sabotaged the hostage and ceasefire deal to secure better terms for Hamas, Israeli media reported on Sunday, citing senior Israeli officials.
If a final deal is not reached in the coming days, Israel is expected to increase pressure in Gaza, according to Yisrael Hayom.
The officials stated that Qatar’s assistance in ceasefire talks has been hindering the progress, adding that working solely through Egypt would be better.
Without Qatari interference, Hamas may have already accepted the recent Egyptian proposal due to a combination of IDF pressure, the halting of humanitarian aid, and diplomatic pressure applied by Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to Ynet, Qatar also exerted counter-pressure to reject the proposal, saying that there may be a better proposal for Hamas later on.
Hostage negotiations have not been progressing effectively
Ynet revealed that, contrary to previous statements, military pressure has succeeded in pressuring Hamas, and could have led to a diplomatic achievement in the form of a partial hostage release agreement.
Additionally, Dermer’s negotiating team has not been effectively advancing the interests of the hostages. A source familiar with the negotiations described Dermer’s activities to Ynet as “between borderline and negative,” adding that Israel has not been pushing for a solution.
A third insight revealed by Ynet showed that associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who worked for Qatar promoted interests that endangered the national security of Israel. The associates reportedly conducted a negative campaign against Egypt, damaging the relations between the countries.
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