Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu/President.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed a negotiation team to “travel to Cairo for talks Thursday evening.” Israeli officials are hopeful to secure the release of additional hostages by as early as Saturday, although “discussions have not yet commenced” and the timeline is still uncertain.
The delegation to Cairo, led by Hostages and Missing Coordinator Gal Hirsch, includes Netanyahu’s political advisor Ophir Falk, and other IDF and Shin Bet representatives.
Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua announced Thursday morning the organization’s “commitment to all agreement terms and readiness to begin negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal.”
He spoke to the Qatari channel Al Arabi, stating that Hamas is prepared to either extend the first phase of the hostage agreement or merge both phases, adhering to Hamas’ self-defined red lines in negotiations with Israel.
al-Qanua also claimed that the first phase of the agreement has been completed and emphasized Hamas’ adherence to all conditions “despite Israel’s continuous delaying tactics.” As the first phase of the hostage deal nears completion, including the final release of deceased hostages, this sets the stage for the next phase of negotiations.
An Israeli official stated Thursday that Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor—a buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border—on the 42nd day of the hostage deal, despite Qatar and Egypt-brokered agreements calling for an IDF pullout.
“We will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor. We will not permit Hamas murderers to return with pickup trucks and rifles on our borders, and we will not allow them to rebuild their arsenal through smuggling operations,” a Israeli security source told Times of Israel.
However, as long as Israel maintains its presence in the corridor negotiations for the second phase of the hostage release agreement are likely to stall.
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