Israel’s security cabinet weighs ‘new ideas’ on Gaza hostage release deal

Sources in the Israeli negotiating team affirm that Sinwar’s death has not caused any changes in Hamas’s position.

Oct. 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, pointed out this Monday to the existence of “new ideas” about a possible agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for the release of those kidnapped during the attacks carried out on October 7. of 2023.

Thus, a spokesman for Netanyahu has said that these positions have been discussed during the last hours by the security cabinet, which has weighed the “viability” of these “new ideas” not specified for “a proposal for the release of the hostages.”

Official sources cited by the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’ have indicated that Israel is considering ending the offensive against Gaza after an agreement for the release of hostages following the death of Yahya Sinwar, leader of the Islamist group in the Gaza Strip. at the hands of Israeli forces during their offensive against the enclave.

In this sense, they have stressed that Sinwar’s body could be “another bargaining chip” in the negotiations, although sources from Netanyahu’s office have declined to comment on this point and have reiterated that “the war will not end until all objectives”.

“We continue to put military pressure on Hamas,” they noted. “You can see the effects in Jabalia. We continue killing members of Hamas. We are looking for a psychological collapse,” he argued, in the midst of the intensification of the Israeli offensive against northern Gaza, mired in an enormous humanitarian crisis.

On the other hand, sources from the negotiating team cited by the newspaper ‘Haaretz’ have highlighted that the death of Sinwar at the end of last week has not led to changes in the negotiating position of the Islamist group, in the midst of indirect contacts with Israel, mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

In this way, these sources have indicated that “Hamas is busy with (the search for) the successor (of Sinwar) and shows no willingness to soften or change its position,” before adding that Israel has not changed its position either. “There has been no request for a move or concession in fundamental positions,” they said.

In fact, they have stressed that the group “is not suffering disintegration” and that “the system continues to function.” “The system is stable. It is under pressure, but it works. They will name successors and reorganize. They want to continue the conversation from the same position, without softening it. They may even harden it,” they warned.

Israel’s offensive against Gaza was launched after the aforementioned attacks on October 7, 2023, which left some 1,200 dead and nearly 250 kidnapped, according to Israeli authorities. Since then, nearly 42,600 Palestinians have died, as the Gazan authorities have indicated, in addition to more than 750 Palestinians killed at the hands of Israeli security forces and in attacks carried out by settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since that date. .