The government is advancing plans for an offensive on Rafah as part of the pressure put on Hamas to return to negotiations for a hostage release deal. The security cabinet is scheduled to convene on Thursday, to discuss the planned IDF offensive on the Hamas strong hold in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, after the cabinet did not meet for the past 12 days.
As far as Ynet has learned, the security cabinet will not be asked to approve plans after it authorized the war cabinet to decide its details. In fact to date, the political leadership has not given the military, the green light to begin evacuating civilians from the potential battle field.
The IDF is urging to ministers to approve the operation to take down the last remaining Hamas battalions. On Wednesday, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, visited Cairo and met with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, to ease Egyptian concerns that an assault on Rafah would bring about a surge of Gazan refugees across the border to Egypt.
The war cabinet will also meet on Thursday, for a second time this week, to discuss the stalemate in hostage release talks. Officials believe an offensive on Rafah would increase pressure on Hamas to return to negotiations. Ministers will also be asked to deliberate the "day after the war."
Ideas were presented in the war cabinet's meeting outlining possible new options to present to Hamas, including removing it from power over Gaza in exchange for a complete end to the fighting. Although that is not considered to have much chance of being accepted.
The officials in Jerusalem also believe the main mediation efforts should be moved out of Qatar, to Egypt after the Qataris seem more invested in Hamas's survival and has avoided putting pressure on the terror group by removing its senior members from Dohan or freezing the Hamas bank accounts.
Blaming Israel for failed hostage negotiations is absurd
A senior Israeli official said it was wrong to blame Israel for the failure of hostage release negotiations. "This is not the Israeli view but that of the United States," the official said. "Accusing Israel is absurd. We are prepared to do everything, including release convicted murderers and allowing civilians to return to northern Gaza," he said.
"We must not forget that we are dealing with a cruel terror organization. This is not a Swiss bank. Every offer presented to Israel, was accepted, but there are limits. Hamas is thinking only about its survival and does not want to surrender the hostages. They are trying to sow chaos and internal pressure, in Israel."
Officials point to Wednesday's release of a video showing hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, which they say was meant to put pressure on the decision makers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding talks with several leaders about the fighting in Gaza and possible ways to block the International Criminal Court in the Hague from issuing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials.
Discussions are being held out of concern that some of the justices on the international panel are motivated by their hate for Israel.
Deadline for normalization with Saudi Arabia
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia to attempt to finalize a normalization deal. Blinken may also visit Israel. The Biden administration considers the deadline for a normalization agreement to be around the end of May or early in June, because of the need to approve a defense agreement with the Saudi's, in Congress.
If an outline is agreed during Blinken's visit to the Gulf kingdom, it would be presented to Netanyahu who would be required to respond. Such an outline would include the role of the Palestinians after the war and demands for a declaration on a future Palestinian state.
Biden's Mideast envoy Amos Hochstein is also expected to arrive in Israel to advance his efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement in Lebanon, that would prevent a full-blown war on the Israeli-Lebanon border.