Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with Religious Zionist Chairman Bezalel Smotrich in his office in Jerusalem. Earlier, Defense Minister Israel Katz also joined the meeting, against the backdrop of the ongoing engagement between Israel and Hamas.
According to a report in the New York Times, a major dispute remains in the negotiations: Hamas is demanding a commitment from Israel to refrain from renewing fighting in the Gaza Strip, but as of now, Israel refuses to commit to doing so.
In addition, according to a report in the Arab newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, the deal was delayed following Israel's last-minute demand to add the names of soldiers, including senior officers and Shin Bet agents, to the list of the 33 hostages to be released in the first stage.
At the same time, senior Trump administration officials have conveyed an unequivocal message in recent days: "Hamas will not be able to remain in the Gaza Strip." At a Senate hearing, Designated Secretary of Defense Pete Hassett stated explicitly that "our position is that Israel should kill and destroy Hamas members to the last of them."
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