WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Sunday that it was not clear yet whether a hostage deal would emerge from ongoing talks, declining to discuss specifics but saying the Palestinian resistance group Hamas needed to “come down to a reasonable situation.”
Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Netanyahu added he was meeting with staff later on Sunday to review a military plan that included the evacuation of Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and an operation to destroy Hamas.
“If we have a deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it will happen. If we do not have a deal, we will do it anyway,” he told CBS.
Israel-Hamas Truce Talks
Meanwhile, the United States said Sunday that multinational talks in Paris came to an “understanding” on a potential deal for the release of hostages held by Palestinian resistance group Hamas and for a new ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN that representatives from Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar convened in Paris, where they reached a preliminary understanding on the fundamental aspects of a hostage release arrangement linked with a temporary ceasefire. However, Sullivan emphasized that detailed negotiations are still ongoing to finalize the terms of the agreement.
Sullivan stated, “Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar met in Paris and came to an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire would look like.”
Efforts to secure a ceasefire and negotiate the release of hostages have now shifted to Doha, where talks resumed between the aforementioned countries along with representatives from Hamas, as reported by state-linked Egyptian media on Sunday.
