The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has denied a report from Israel’s Channel 12 regarding an alleged argument between Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s top security officials. The report claimed that during a meeting of Israel’s security council on Wednesday night, senior officials urged Netanyahu to consider a hostage and ceasefire deal. Mossad Director David Barnea was reported to have stated that a deal was ready and should be accepted, while Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet, expressed concerns that the prime minister did not seem inclined to pursue the proposed deal.
According to the report, Netanyahu reportedly criticized the negotiation tactics of his team, stating they did not know how to conduct negotiations. However, the Prime Minister’s office swiftly refuted the claims, asserting that the report was inaccurate. The office clarified that the Mossad Director did not suggest accepting a deal and that the assertion of Hamas agreeing to the terms was false.
The statement from Netanyahu’s office emphasized that all demands made by Israel were in line with a previously established outline and that Hamas had requested numerous changes to the proposed terms. Despite the reported tensions, Netanyahu remained committed to securing the release of the hostages and instructed negotiators to proceed with plans to travel to Cairo for further discussions.
Earlier reports had indicated that Netanyahu had introduced additional demands to Israel’s response in the ceasefire negotiations, which included revisiting previous concessions made by Israel.
