Netanyahu rejects negotiation efforts with Hamas, insisting on Israeli terms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not allowing negotiations with the radical Palestinian movement Hamas to move forward.

On 18 August, Israeli negotiators, including the chief of the Mossad intelligence agency and other senior figures, informed Netanyahu that if they were given more flexibility, a truce with Hamas might be achievable, Caliber.Az reports per a report from the Axios portal, citing senior Israeli officials.

However, the prime minister “refused to make concessions, chided the negotiators for defeatism,” and asserted that Hamas would eventually agree to his terms, unnamed senior officials said.

Netanyahu did express support for the new US truce proposal, which includes some of Israel’s conditions. Nonetheless, the prime minister is reportedly aware that Hamas is unlikely to accept such a deal. His public statements of “cautious optimism” about the truce were described by sources as “political populism”.

A major point of contention was Netanyahu's insistence on maintaining Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and the heads of the country's security services believe their agencies could mitigate risks associated with the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Another obstacle was the demand for a monitoring mechanism to prevent the smuggling of weapons from southern Gaza to the north. On 18 August, Hamas rejected a deal that included these conditions, Axios reported.