Netanyahu alone steering negotiations with Palestinians: Israeli sources

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - Informed sources in Israel revealed Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is almost alone in steering negotiations on a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian resistance groups.

Public broadcaster KAN quoted unidentified sources who said Netanyahu is alone in conducting the talks, and he decided to harden his position related to the discussions.

Netanyahu is steering all details of the talks and is focusing on the negotiations more than in the past, they said.

The Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said there is fear in Israel that Netanyahu is trying to obstruct the prisoner deal, following disagreements between him and Mossad's chief David Barnea concerning some of the terms of the cease-fire proposal.

It added that one of the main differences between the Mossad, Israel's general security service, Shin Bet, and Netanyahu is that the security agencies do not agree on a return to fighting unless Hamas breaches any of the deal terms, contrary to Netanyahu who wants to return to fighting in any case.

On Thursday, an Israeli delegation headed by Shin Bet's chief Ronen Bar traveled to Cairo to continue cease-fire talks and returned to Israel on Friday.

Efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,300 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar