Israeli Knesset member and former war council member Gadi Eizenkot confirmed today, Thursday, that a deal with the Palestinian factions is closer than ever, but he anticipated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would obstruct it. Eizenkot, a former army chief of staff, expressed doubts that Netanyahu would accept the deal, stating he is "bound by personal and political interests," as reported by Israeli media. He also noted that Netanyahu knows that accepting the deal would lead to the dismantling of his government, creating a dilemma for him where he must choose between the deal and his political survival.
He continued: "This government is incapable of winning, and the transition to the third phase of the war should have happened five months ago," considering the cost of the deal to be high. He added, "Israel can pause the war for four months or for any duration needed for the deal." Regarding the Lebanese front, Eizenkot mentioned that the war with Lebanon would be costly for the Israeli home front.
Earlier, a source in Netanyahu's office stated that he would hold an evening meeting of the security cabinet to discuss proposals from the Palestinian factions regarding a potential ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The source added that Netanyahu would consult with his team on the ceasefire negotiations prior to the meeting.
The Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) noted in a statement that Israel is considering Hamas' response to a proposal that includes an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. A statement released by Netanyahu's office on behalf of Mossad stated, "The mediators in the hostage agreement provided the negotiation team with Hamas' response to the outlines of the hostage deal," and added, "Israel is considering the response and will reply to the mediators."
