Netanyahu reportedly bypassed war Cabinet to back truce mediation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a weekly cabinet meeting, Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 7, 2024. (EPA Photo)


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly bypassed the war Cabinet to back the ongoing truce mediation with Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

According to the Israeli state television KAN, Mossad Director David Barnea, during meetings with Egyptian and Qatari officials in Paris, received Netanyahu's approval to continue different stages of cease-fire negotiations.

A source close to the Cabinet claimed that its members were only aware of this issue after the Prime Minister's approval.

The Prime Ministry Press Office in a statement on the issue said: "The Prime Minister's instruction to the Mossad Director was clear: 'Inform the entire war cabinet about this issue and get their opinions.'"

Meanwhile, speaking to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahranoth, several Israeli officials said that they "will not agree to stop the war" in response to Hamas's proposal to release hostages from Gaza and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Officials claimed that the draft agreement envisaged the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, including "high-profile names" in Israeli prisons.

Palestinian sources, on the other hand, said that Hamas has proposed a plan that envisages a three-stage prisoner exchange and cease-fire in Gaza, each lasting 45 days.