Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that the Israeli negotiation team currently in Doha is working to reach an agreement for the release of all hostages. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Israel has set out three conditions in exchange.
“Under the Prime Minister’s directive, the negotiation team is currently operating in Doha to exhaust every possibility for a deal—whether according to the Witkoff proposal or as part of a broader end to the fighting, which would include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
Netanyahu Government Responds to Criticism
The statement emphasized that had the Prime Minister given in to pressure from his critics, the outcome of the war would have been entirely different. The Prime Minister’s Office asserted:
“Hamas would have succeeded in rebuilding itself, Nasrallah and the entire Hezbollah leadership would still be alive with tens of thousands of rockets, Assad would have remained in power, and Iran would not have suffered any significant damage.”
The statement also rejected claims that a deal could have been reached earlier, calling them completely unfounded:
“As senior U.S. officials have repeatedly testified, Hamas refused for many months to enter negotiations and was the sole obstacle to an agreement.”
The statement added that, thanks to Netanyahu’s policy of applying both military and diplomatic pressure, the government has so far succeeded in bringing home 197 hostages.
“The government is doing everything in its power to bring back the 58 remaining hostages,” the statement concluded.
