Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, instructed Mossad Chief David Barnea to travel to Qatar for renewed hostage release talks. The prime minister briefed U.S. President Joe Biden of his decision in a call. The two leaders discussed the possible deal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the massacre of October 7.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement, that the prime minister repeated the principles Israel was committed to, primarily to end the war only after its objectives were met. The White House said Netanyahu thanked the president for his unwavering support of Israel and that Biden repeated his commitment to Israel's security including in the face of the threat from Hezbollah.
A senior White House official said that the Hamas response to the Israeli proposal for a cease-fire and the return of the hostages, moves the process forward and may provide the basis for closing a deal. He said U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the possibility with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their 30-minute call earlier in the day. Netanyahu decided to send the Mossad chief to the renewed negotiations that were considered to have a better chance for success, before the security cabinet convened. "It seems he wants a deal and has been wrongly accused of preventing the release of hostages," a security official said. "He approved flexibility in Israel's position six times.
According to the official, the concern was that political considerations would upend the chances for a deal, especially if Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners succeeded in thwarting it. "They must understand that Hamas was using their opposition as a tool in the war and that they were playing into the terror group's hands," he said.
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Protesters call on the prime minister to agree to a hostage release deal
(Photo: Abir Sultan /EPA)
Families of hostages and protesters opposed to Netanyahu's government held a large demonstration outside his Jerusalem home, as they have been doing increasingly in recent weeks, demanding he agree to a deal that would bring the hostages home. Some of the families accused the prime minister of deserting the hostages to die in the hands of Hamas, in order to maintain his coalition and avoid early elections.
Earlier in the day, a group of friends of the Prime Minister's older brother Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed in the 1976, IDF rescue of hostages hijacked by terrorists to Uganda, held a private memorial service for him in Jerusalem.
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Friends and comrades of Yoni Netanyahu hold a private memorial , to avoid attending the official event with the prime minister
(Photo: Amit Shabi)
The group included the elder Netanyahu's partner, soldiers who served under his command in the elite special ops unit and others. They said they wanted to hold their own memorial and avoid meeting the prime minister whom they claim that unlike his brother, who died while rescuing hostages, Netanyahu had deserted the Israelis held by Hamas in order to preserve his political power.