The Security Cabinet convened Thursday following the summit in Qatar and ahead of cease-fire and hostage release talks in Cairo. Mossad DirectorDavid Barnea informed the cabinet that without the principles insisted upon by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "we will not win, and we will not bring back the hostages."
"Without the clauses Prime Minister Netanyahu insists on, we will not be able to renew the war, and without that, we will not win or retrieve all the hostages. This is what is necessary for the benefit of the State of Israel," Barnea said, amid criticism from security officials and the families of hostages.
Barnea returned from Qatar Thursday after meeting with mediators, and later Thursday night Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar was set to fly to Egypt to continue the negotiations. "Without the work of the IDF and the force we are applying in Gaza, we would achieve nothing. The more aggressively the IDF operates in Gaza, the more successful we will be in the negotiations. We need to increase the pressure in Gaza," he added.
Barnea's office said in a statement that he "referred to the fact that the intensified military maneuvering in the Gaza Strip was effective in promoting and opening negotiations, and he stands by the principle of returning to war to bring back all the hostages, including the men and soldiers, in the second phase."
At the officer graduation ceremony on Thursday afternoon, Netanyahu reiterated these principles despite the criticism. "I would like to emphasize that I am committed to the outline for the release of our hostages; however, the Hamas murderers are still continuing to cling to demands that contravene the outline and endanger the security of Israel. As the Prime Minister of Israel, and out of national responsibility, I am unwilling to agree to these demands. Therefore, I strongly uphold four principles which are essential for the security of Israel, which are in the outline" Netanyahu said.
According to Netanyahu, these principles are: "Any outline must allow Israel to return to fighting until all the objectives of the war are achieved; We will not allow the smuggling of weapons to Hamas from Egypt, first and foremost through Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing; We will not allow the return of armed terrorists and the entry of war materiel to the northern Gaza Strip. Only this way will the achievements that we have made by an unyielding fight and with the precious blood of our soldiers be preserved; I insist that the maximum number of living hostages be released in the first stage of the outline."
Meanwhile, Hamas claimed that Israel is stalling, and Islamic Jihad demanded a withdrawal from areas controlled by the IDF. "We want guarantees regarding the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Philadelphi and Netzarim routes," said senior Islamic Jihad official Mohammed al-Hindi. "Israel wants to decide who will manage the Rafah crossing, but it will fail."