Abdelrahman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the delegation for the hostage-ceasefire agreement to proceed to Cairo for discussions aimed at extending the existing ceasefire. This initiative is scheduled for Thursday.
The team, spearheaded by Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, the Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, will also include “M,” a confidential officer from the Shin Bet agency. M formerly served as the deputy to Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who is no longer involved in the negotiations concerning the hostage deal.
During a meeting on Thursday with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated, “Our delegation will head to Cairo to explore potential agreements for extending the framework in exchange for the return of additional hostages.”
Israeli officials revealed to the Jerusalem Post that the country is keen and ready to proceed with phase one of the agreement, which entails the release of three hostages each week, in return for humanitarian assistance and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.
Recently, Hamas has indicated that the release of the remaining hostages hinges on a commitment to a ceasefire arrangement. Hamas made this assertion publicly, intensifying discussions around the hostage-return process.
According to a report from Maariv, efforts are underway to arrange the next hostage release as soon as Saturday.
The decision to dispatch the negotiating team to Cairo was made during a phone security consultation led by the Prime Minister, which included prominent ministers such as Israel Katz, Ron Dermer, Gideon Sa’ar, Bezalel Smotrich, and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri, as reported by Maariv.
Katz’s Remarks
Earlier on Thursday, Defense Minister Katz remarked, “Israel is ready to extend the ceasefire to secure the return of more hostages—all of them. The most effective way to accomplish this is through a genuine and credible military threat, which is the basis of our strategy.”
However, he also noted, “Phase one has concluded; we have successfully brought back 25 hostages alive, including female soldiers. This was a significant improvement compared to earlier negotiation phases, where discussions revolved around only 10 or 12 hostages; we have also accounted for the return of 8 who have since passed away.”
