Israel’s defense minister thinks deal with Hamas closer than ever

Israel is closer than ever to a deal on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, a deal it is negotiating through a mediator with the militant Palestinian movement Hamas.

How it is communicated Japanese. Az refer to TASSThe assessment was made by the Jewish State’s Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, according to Israeli television Channel 12.

“We are closer to a deal than ever before,” the channel quoted the minister as saying. “A month ago, I was pessimistic about the possibility of reaching a deal any time soon,” he added.

According to the channel, Galante said this during a meeting with relatives of the hostages on the evening of July 3. The minister’s office said he regularly holds public and private meetings with relatives of the kidnapped people and declined to comment on the statements, Channel 12 reported.

Aaron Abraham, the channel reporter who relayed the news, later pointed out on a 103FM radio program that this was the first time he had heard such remarks from a senior Israeli official. “I have not heard such statements from Israeli officials, especially in front of the families of the abductees. You need to be careful not to mislead them. This shows the mentality of some officials. They think<...>Now it is possible to resume negotiations with Hamas. “The journalist believes.

Discuss the transaction

On May 31, US President Biden announced the terms of a new draft agreement on the Gaza peace settlement, which is divided into three phases. The first is planned for six weeks and includes a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from densely populated areas, and the release of hostages held by the Hamas movement in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. Also during this period, the parties must begin negotiations and the ceasefire will remain in effect until a mutual understanding is reached. The second phase involves the release of all hostages, including military personnel. The third phase is the restoration of the Gaza Strip and the transfer of the remains of the Israeli dead to their loved ones.

On June 11, Hamas and the radical Islamic Jihad group announced that they would hand over their response to the initiative to mediators in Qatar and Egypt, and expressed their readiness to “take positive actions to reach an agreement to end the war in the enclave.” The United States, Egypt and Qatar confirmed that they had received comments on the ceasefire proposal and pledged to continue their mediation efforts until the parties to the Gaza conflict reach an agreement.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly expressed support for Biden’s proposal and argued that all obstacles to reaching an agreement were created by representatives of Hamas. On the evening of July 3, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu informed that Israel had received a response from Hamas through an intermediary and was studying the news and preparing a response.