The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Friday that Israel’s political leadership has directed the Israeli army to prepare immediately to resume the war on the Gaza Strip, amidst the stagnation in the negotiations.
The authority quoted unnamed Israeli political and security sources, stating that the political leadership had instructed the military to get ready to resume operations in Gaza due to the deadlock in talks with the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas.”
On the same topic, an unnamed security source told the Broadcasting Authority that the return to war could put Israeli prisoners in Gaza at risk, while international efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement continue.
In the same context, American officials accused “Israel” of attempting to sabotage the secret talks held by the United States with the Hamas movement in Doha, aimed at reaching an agreement for the release of American prisoners, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, which reported on Thursday.
The newspaper stated that the Trump administration had not informed Israel in advance about these negotiations for fear that Israel would obstruct them, especially after Tel Aviv thwarted a previous round that had been scheduled for last week.
Sources close to Israeli officials, also speaking anonymously, noted that Netanyahu’s government is concerned about the repercussions of any potential deal between the United States and Hamas.
The sources indicated that Israel might find itself forced to pay a political or security price in order to finalize the deal.
Although Netanyahu’s office denied these accusations, Washington confirmed significant progress in the talks, according to the newspaper.
Yedioth Ahronoth further reported that Israel learned of the secret talks through unofficial channels, prompting it to contact the White House to object, according to the Israeli sources.
The sources stated that American officials accused “Israel” of leaking details of the negotiations to the media in an attempt to sabotage them.
American officials believe the secret talks with Hamas have made substantial progress, contrary to Israeli claims that the discussions have not yielded any results.