SAccording to the Kan public broadcaster, both Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi, as well as the directors of the national and foreign intelligence agencies (Shin Bet and Mossad), Ronen Bar and David Barnea, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night that they support a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
According to his analysis, the Palestinian group would not have enough time in six months to regroup and rearm, so the priority should be to free the Israeli hostages who still remain in the enclave.
According to Israeli news channel 12, Netanyahu was reluctant to accept the arguments of the four officials and criticized them for their flexibility.
Netanyahu traveled to Washington today for an official visit to the United States, during which he will meet with US President Joe Biden and address both houses of Congress.
On Sunday night, as thousands of Israelis flocked to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to demand that he not travel until he had sealed a deal with Hamas, Netanyahu announced that an Israeli delegation would relaunch the negotiations.
The latest indirect talks between Israel and Hamas took place a few weeks ago in Doha and Cairo, with positive signs that an agreement was close.
But at the last minute, the prime minister added demands that blocked dialogue again, such as control of the Philadelphia Corridor and the Rafah crossing on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
In his talks with military and security leaders, Netanyahu made it clear that he does not intend to back down on his demands, which will form part of the message of the negotiating delegation, which is due to leave on Thursday.
The location of the negotiations has not yet been disclosed.
The current conflict began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack by Hamas in Israel, which left almost 1,200 dead and took more than 200 people hostage.
In retaliation, Israel has since launched a major offensive in the Gaza Strip, and according to local authorities controlled by Hamas, around 39,000 people have already died, most of them civilians, in a scenario denounced by the UN as a humanitarian disaster.
Read Also: New Israeli attack in Gaza leaves at least 70 dead
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2602715/lideranca-militar-israelita-admite-saida-de-gaza-por-seis-meses
