Talks between Israel and Qatari and Egyptian mediators in the negotiations to secure the release of hostages are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, initially to be held remotely.
Israeli officials involved in the talks said the offensive in Rafah may put further negotiations into question after Hamas demanded that IDF troops pull out of Rafah before the talks could resume. But others claimed that the Hamas demand remains to end the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes an end to the fighting, which could impact any chance for an agreement. "There are discussions with the mediators in Egypt and Qatar and they are supposed to relay Israel's answers to Hamas," an official said.
Netanyahu said earlier on Monday, that the release of the hostages is his goal as he rejected reports that he had limited the authority of Israel's negotiating team. "We all watch with pain the shocking video clip of the abduction of the female soldiers and our hearts were ripped," he said speaking from the Knesset podium.
"The hostages are always top of mind and I reject with contempt any claim that I prevent the negotiating team from the mandate they have requested or turn down any of their requests. I was asked for a broader scope, five times, by the negotiators and agreed to their requests all of those times," he said.
The prime minister said only Sinwar was the obstacle to any deal and the pressure should be on him and not the Israeli government. "Sinwar is sitting nicely in his bunker, happy that others are doing the work for him: lawmakers, citizens. Hamas must be put under pressure and we are doing that as we fight in Gaza. I will keep on fighting until we win."
2 View gallery
Family members call for the immediate release of hostages during the prime minister's speech at the Knesset
(Photo: Ahmad Gharabli / AFP)
During his speech members of the families of hostages held up posters with their loved ones' photographs and called out demands for their immediate release, interrupting the prime minister.