Netanyahu removed the directors of Mossad and Shin Bet from the ceasefire negotiating delegation. The delegation will be led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is known to be close to Netanyahu. The Mossad and Shin Bet directors were also not invited to a critical security meeting.
According to the Times of Israel, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a long-time trusted figure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will lead the negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement with Hamas. It is assessed that Dermer’s appointment may negatively affect the negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire.
In previous negotiations, Mossad Director David Barnea led the Israeli delegation. However, it is stated that Netanyahu sidelined Barnea, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, and the army’s hostage officer Nitzan Alon, with whom he often had disagreements during the negotiations. Israeli security officials have long stated that an agreement could have been reached earlier, but that political concerns in Israel were preventing this process.
According to public broadcaster Kan, Ronen Bar announced his removal from the negotiating team in a recent speech. Bar’s dismissal from the negotiating team came after allegations that Netanyahu would remove him from the head of Shin Bet. Barnea and Bar were also not invited to a critical security meeting in Netanyahu’s office last night, Channel 13 reported.
An Israeli official told the Times of Israel that Netanyahu has not yet authorized sending Israel’s negotiating team to Qatar for talks. However, the process is said to be moving forward, albeit slowly, under US pressure. According to the Walla news website, Ron Dermer will discuss the second phase of negotiations with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in the coming days.
According to Channel 12, some hostage families are concerned about Netanyahu’s decision to put Dermer in charge of the hostage negotiating team. The families recalled that Dermer had said at previous meetings that he would not support any agreement to end the war until Hamas was completely eliminated.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Tuesday that Israel would in the coming days begin discussing the exchange of the remaining Israeli hostages for more Palestinian security prisoners as part of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israel is reportedly demanding the complete demilitarization of Gaza in the process. It is thought that 24 more hostages could be released as part of the second phase.
In a statement to foreign journalists, Saar said, “We held a Security Cabinet meeting last night. We decided to start negotiations for the second phase. It will start this week,” he said. Negotiations were supposed to start on February 3.
Hamas official Khalil al-Khayya said in a statement that they are ready to start negotiations for the second phase of the agreement immediately.
