Tel Aviv, Feb 1, (dpa/GNA) – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says he will not agree to a possible new ceasefire deal in the Gaza war and the release of further hostages “at any price,” the newspaper Times of Israel reported on Wednesday night.
“We have red lines,” Netanyahu said, reiterating previous statements that Israel would not end the war, would not withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip, and would not release “thousands of terrorists” from Israeli prisons for a hostage deal.
According to Channel 12, the head of the Israeli secret service Mossad, David Barnea, informed the ministers of the war cabinet on Monday, of the main features of a possible agreement. These include the release of 35 female, sick, injured and elderly hostages in a first phase in which the fighting would be paused for five weeks.
This would be followed by a further one-week ceasefire, during which the negotiators would also attempt to release young men and hostages, who Hamas describes as soldiers.
The US newspaper Washington Post had previously reported that the draft ceasefire, negotiated in Paris, envisaged that all civilians kidnapped from Israel would initially be released during the potential six-week ceasefire.
According to the report, three Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons for every Israeli hostage. The Post said it is still unclear which prisoners would be released, and who would determine this.
As of Wednesday evening, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, had not yet responded to the draft ceasefire agreement, according to the Times of Israel. Hamas is expected to send its response via Qatar.
Hamas abducted around 240 hostages in the Gaza Strip during its coordinated attacks on Israel on October 7. It is estimated that more than 130 people are still being held. Israel assumes that 27 of them are no longer alive.
GNA