ALBAWABA - According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Mossad Director David Barnea will report on his Paris hostage-release talks to the Israeli War Council. The opposition and Knesset members are criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of this Sunday evening gathering.
A top official told Channel 12 that the fresh exchange deal negotiations seek to provide the groundwork for a durable, peaceful accord. According to reports, Israeli authorities are willing to negotiate continuous calm in Gaza.
According to Axios, CIA Director William Burns discussed the swap plan with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Mossad Chief yesterday. The publication said that Barnea returned to Israel after this encounter.
An Israeli official told Axios that Paris talks focused on restarting prisoner release negotiations. Talks will resume next week with fresh ideas sponsored by Egyptian and Qatari mediators with US participation.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich opposed sending negotiating teams, asking why War Council members Benny Gantz, Gadi Eizenkot, and Yoav Gallant are pressing Netanyahu. "It's as if it's the government's fault that the captives in Gaza have not yet returned home," he told Army Radio.
Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, said Netanyahu and his entourage prioritize political survival and turmoil. He said "This is the first time a government is intentionally trying to create chaos."
Knesset member Ram Ben Barak said, "This is what should be done." to liberate prisoners by halting the war. He claimed that Netanyahu's fear of breaking the alliance prevented him from freeing detainees. Ben Barak hoped Netanyahu would not derail future negotiations.
Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon accused the administration of sacrificing all Gaza detainees. He warned that the present administration will destroy Israel and that its internal existential danger is larger than its foreign one.
Izzat al-Rishq, Political Bureau member, said, "The Gaza Strip must stop all aggression, not only Rafah. This is what our people demand and the basis for discussions."
In a Safa news statement, Al-Rishq said, "The undeniable truth is that the Israeli Prime Minister kills captives and does not care about them or their families."
The Hamas leader accused the Israeli PM of "evasion and giving false impressions of caring about them (the captives) to buy more time to continue the aggression."
Another Hamas leader said mediators had not notified the movement of any discussions resuming. Osama Hamdan said "talk of new negotiations today is not serious."
