Israel resumes indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas
Israel’s war cabinet has instructed negotiators to resume indirect talks with Hamas over a hostage deal and ceasefire, a source confirmed to The Telegraph on Thursday.
Talks between Hamas and Israel had been on hold for weeks after Israel began military operations in Rafah in southern Gaza.
But since the bodies of five hostages were uncovered by the army in Gaza, pressure has mounted on Benjamin Netanuahu, the Israeli prime minister, with daily demonstrations and calls for him to strike a deal with Hamas.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum released a harrowing video on Wednesday showing the moment five Israeli female conscripts were taken hostage by Hamas in Nahal Oz on October 7. The video was intended to put pressure on Mr Netanyahu and the war cabinet to resume talks with Hamas.
An official told The Telegraph: “The uproar the video created illustrated the urgency to release these women. Netanyahu asked the negotiation team to come up with a framework for a deal and to go back to negotiating. But in any deal, Hamas must let the women go first.”
Protesters blocked the major Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, starting a bonfire and chanting “we will not abandon them”. Demonstrations were also held near the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem.
According to a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute, a majority of Israelis believe their government should prioritise a deal to get the hostages out over a ground invasion of Rafah.
Although Israel’s operations in Rafah are continuing, with more than 100 terrorists killed and more than 800,000 civilians evacuated from the city, the pace of the operation seems to have been influenced by pressure on Mr Netanyahu from the Biden administration.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said on Wednesday: “I was briefed by Israeli officials and by Israeli professionals on refinements that Israel made to its plans to achieve its military objectives while taking account of civilian harm.
“What we have seen so far in terms of Israel’s military operations in that area has been more targeted and limited [and] has not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas.”
