A senior Israeli official on Wednesday praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to sideline Mossad director David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar from the hostage negotiation team, claiming it directly contributed to the expedited release of six hostages on Saturday.
The official said that the successful agreement to free all live hostges named in the first phase of the cease-fire deal, along with the planned return of the bodies of fallen hostages on Thursday—which had already been scheduled as part of the agreement—was a result of Netanyahu’s decision to restructure the team.
The new negotiation team is led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Netanyahu. “The new team changed the dynamics and led a true negotiation instead of simply making concessions,” the official said. “They also ended the practice of biased, regular briefings against the prime minister and political leadership, which only encouraged Hamas to harden its stance and raise its demands.”
Netanyahu had previously criticized the security chiefs and their team in private discussions, accusing them of mishandling the talks.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Netanyahu appointed Dermer to lead negotiations for the second phase of the hostage deal, working alongside Steve Witkoff, special envoy for Middle East affairs under U.S. President Donald Trump. Until now, negotiations had been led by Bar and Barnea. While Barnea will remain involved, the new team also includes Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostage and missing persons affairs, and a former deputy Shin Bet chief, identified only as "M."
Opposition Leader Lapid: “A Cowardly and Completely False Statement”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the Prime Minister’s Office following the senior official’s remarks. “This statement raises serious concerns about Netanyahu’s judgment,” Lapid said. “It is cowardly and a complete lie. Netanyahu keeps blaming others for his failures and is exploiting the hostage families for political gain," Lapid said. "Anyone working for him should know that, sooner or later, they will be publicly sacrificed for half a headline. This is a matter of life and death, yet he is focused on claiming credit. He should stop hiding behind anonymous briefings and focus on bringing all the hostages home.”
Following Tuesday’s announcement that six hostages—Omer Ankret, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shahem, Elia Cohen, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed—would be released on Saturday, an Israeli official described it as “a significant achievement for Netanyahu, carried out in full coordination with the United States.”
2 View gallery
Rally in Tel Aviv calling for the continuation of the hostage deal
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The official added: “The prime minister once again succeeded in expediting the release process, securing an agreement to bring back all the living hostages from the first phase this week, along with the return of the bodies of fallen hostages. If this agreement is implemented, Israel will have completed Phase A of the deal—an achievement that few believed possible.”
Preparations for the Second Phase
The official noted that as part of the negotiations, Israel had approved the entry of “a very limited quantity” of mobile shelters and heavy equipment into Gaza. “This does not affect the feasibility of implementing Trump’s voluntary migration plan or creating a new reality in Gaza, which Prime Minister Netanyahu is fully committed to,” the official claimed.
Israel is now preparing for negotiations on the second phase of the cease-fire, which, according to the official, “will focus on the political conditions for ending the war.” Dermer will lead these discussions with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Israel will present its security demands in the negotiations, based on the war objectives set by the security cabinet. If Hamas refuses to comply, Israel will resume military operations in Gaza with full force, backed by the Trump administration, a replenished stockpile of munitions, fresh troops, and an entirely new combat strategy,” the official said.