The office of the Prime Minister of Israel confirmed this Friday the sending of delegations to Doha and Cairo to continue the dialogue.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed this Friday that the Prime Minister has given his approval for a “high-level” delegation to be sent in the coming days to Doha (Qatar) and Cairo (Egypt) to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“Regarding the negotiations for the release of the hostages, the Prime Minister spoke with the head of the Mossad and the head of the Shin Bet and authorized delegations on his behalf to travel to Doha and Cairo in the coming days to continue the negotiations,” the statement, reported by the Jerusalem Post, said.
The Prime Minister has informed the heads of his domestic and international intelligence and security services, David Barnea (Mossad chief) and Ronen Bar (Shin Bet), that they will have “room for maneuver” in the upcoming talks.
Barnea will lead the Israeli delegation in the Doha talks while Bar will head to Egypt, Netanyahu’s office added.
Furthermore, the Government of Israel reaffirmed its commitment to International Law on Thursday and announced that it is intensifying its efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, coinciding with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s decision to impose new provisional measures against the country, following a request from South Africa on March 6 due to the humanitarian crisis in the region.
“As repeatedly stated, Israel is committed to International Law, including regarding allowing and facilitating the transfer of essential humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip,” explained Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat in a statement circulated on the X social network.
The Foreign Ministry representative argued that “Israel does not impose limitations on the amount of essential humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, including in particular food, water, shelter equipment, and medicine,” claiming that “it does not wish any harm to the civilian population.”
Haiat also guaranteed that “Israel will continue to promote new initiatives and expand existing ones to allow and facilitate the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip continuously and broadly, by land, air, and sea, along with United Nations agencies and other partners of the international community.”
In this regard, the official insisted that “South Africa has once again failed in its cynical attempts to exploit the ICJ to undermine Israel’s inherent right and obligation to defend its citizens from Hamas’ ongoing attacks and ensure the release of hostages still held in brutal captivity in Gaza.”
Israel’s “continuing efforts,” Haiat reaffirmed, aim to “increase the scale and means of access to aid despite operational challenges on the ground and Hamas’s active and abominable efforts to requisition, hoard, and steal such aids.”
From Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Hamas has been singled out as the sole “culprit of the situation in the Gaza Strip and responsible for the war,” alleging that “it was Hamas who launched an unprecedented terrorist attack against the State of Israel and its citizens while committing atrocities, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including violations, mutilations, and torture,” and who “has held hostage women, men, and children abducted from Israel under indescribable conditions.”
Israeli authorities also criticized Hamas’s “absolute disregard” for International Law and the lives of civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian, reiterating that “Israel is committed to fulfilling its legal obligations, including regarding humanitarian assistance, and will continue to exercise its right and duty to defend its citizens, with the aim of eliminating the terrorist threat of Hamas and returning all hostages to their homes and families and ensuring a future free from Hamas terrorism for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
