Netanyahu convened a meeting of his security cabinet to discuss Hamas’s proposals (File)
Tel Aviv, Israel:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that he has agreed to send a delegation for talks on securing the release of the hostages captured in the October 7 attacks.
In a statement after phone calls with US President Joe Biden, Netanyahu’s office said: “The Prime Minister informed President Biden of his decision to send a delegation that would continue negotiations on the release of the hostages.”
There was no indication where the delegation would go or when it would leave.
In its own readout of the call, the White House said Biden welcomed the decision to have Israeli negotiators “engage” with mediators in an effort to “seal the deal.”
Netanyahu called a meeting of his security cabinet for later Thursday to discuss new proposals sent by Hamas through Qatari mediators, according to media reports.
Hamas has demanded an end to the fighting and an Israeli withdrawal as a prelude to a possible hostage deal.
Israel has responded that the war cannot end without the release of hostages on Palestinian territory. Netanyahu has also repeatedly vowed that the campaign in Gaza will not end until Hamas’s military and government capabilities are destroyed.
Hamas said late Wednesday it had sent new “ideas” for a possible deal and Netanyahu’s office said the government was “evaluating” them.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been mediating between the two sides and sources close to their efforts said there had been renewed pressure in recent weeks to bridge the “rifts” between the enemies.
Biden in May announced a path toward a ceasefire deal that he said was proposed by Israel and included a six-week ceasefire to allow talks and ultimately a program to rebuild devastated Gaza.
“There are important developments in the latest proposals with positive options for both sides,” said a diplomat briefed on the latest proposals. “This time the Americans are very serious about it.”
The war began with the October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 who the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 38,011 people, mostly civilians, according to Health Ministry figures in the Hamas-held area.
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