Former negotiator says Israel missed two chances for Gaza truce
Former negotiator says Israel missed two chances for Gaza truce
A former Israeli negotiator has said Israel missed two opportunities last year to secure a Gaza truce and hasten hostage releases, prompting a swift rebuttal from the premier's office on Saturday.
"In my view, we missed two opportunities to sign an agreement... in March and July" last year, said Oren Setter, who resigned from the Israeli negotiating team in October, in remarks broadcast on Channel 12 on Saturday.
"We did not do everything we could to bring them back as quickly as possible."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused by opposition figures and some families of hostages of not doing enough to secure their release and torpedoing talks, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, for his own political gain.
On Saturday, his office dismissed Setter's remarks, stating that "his claims that an agreement could have been reached earlier are entirely baseless."
"Had the prime minister not stood firm, at least half of the living hostages would not have been freed in the first phase," of an ongoing truce, the statement said.
"As repeatedly testified by senior US officials, Hamas refused to engage in negotiations for months and was the sole obstacle to a deal," the statement added.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu's steadfast stance, along with President Trump's threats, led to Hamas's capitulation, the release of our hostages, and the safeguarding of Israel's security interests," the statement added.
Hamas and Israel are currently implementing the first 42-day phase of a ceasefire that has largely halted fighting in Gaza.
Setter clarified that he wanted to "speak about facts" and argued that the deaths of hostages in captivity and "unnecessary suffering" could have been avoided, while still placing primary responsibility for last year's negotiation deadlock on Hamas.
Since the truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement came into effect, 19 Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023 have been released in exchange for more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners.
A total of 33 Israeli hostages, at least eight of whom have died, are to be released during the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19.
The second phase, which is yet to be negotiated, is expected to cover the release of the remaining hostages and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.
mib-jd/csp/ysm
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.