Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel has to present a "tough" stance in negotiations with Hamas for the release of the hostages.
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Speaking during a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu detailed how, in his opinion, negotiations with Hamas for a hostage deal should be conducted.
"We need to be tough in negotiations. You can't give everything from the get-go because the enemy will want more," Netanyahu said, answering critics accusing him of hampering negotiations. "I don't think there was ever a government that was faced with such dilemmas."
Netanyahu also expressed his opposition to international pressure to let the Palestinian Authority (PA) govern Gaza. "To bring the PA into Gaza? It's like bringing in an organization committed to the destruction of the State of Israel. There is no difference in its goal compared to Hamas. It's a body that nurtures and pays for terrorism. The aspiration of all Palestinian leaderships, in all their hues, is to bring about the demise of Zionism," he said.
On Monday, Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden for the first time in over a month amid increasing tensions between Jerusalem and Washington. A White House readout of the conversation said that the two leaders discussed recent developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to introduce more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"We talked about recent developments in the war, including Israel's commitment to achieving all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve these goals," Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, talks in Qatar are ongoing in an attempt to secure a hostage deal. Mossad Director David Barnea, who returned to Israel as planned after the first round of talks, will brief the Security Cabinet in the evening, along with IDF Major General (res.) Nitzan Alon.
Barnea left behind senior working groups to continue negotiations, while he oversees the talks from Israel. Qatar emphasized that the parties are not close to an agreement.