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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed outrage at the decision of the administration of US President Donald Trump to hold direct talks with the Hamas terrorist organisation on the release of hostages without prior agreement with the Israeli side. This is reported by Cursorinfo with reference to the Washington Post.
In Netanyahu’s environment, such steps were called a “violation of the established rules” that seriously harms Israel and undermines coordination between allies.
The US offer to Hamas
According to Palestinian sources, voiced on Sky News Arabic, the United States allegedly offered Hamas to release ten live hostages in exchange for extending the truce in the Gaza Strip for another two months. The agreement also provides for the opening of checkpoints and the resumption of humanitarian aid.
So far, Hamas has not responded to the US initiative.
The Hamas response
Against the backdrop of the talks, Hamas released a video message in which a representative of the group’s military wing, Abu Ubaida, said that “the resistance has pledged to abide by the terms of the truce and the exchange of prisoners”. At the same time, he accused Israel of trying to disrupt the agreement by enlisting US support for new attacks.
What this means for Israel
This course of events creates risks for the further management of the hostage crisis and calls into question the coordination between Tel Aviv and Washington. Israel emphasises that any negotiations with terrorists should take place only with the interests of the state and the safety of its citizens in mind.
