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Israel remains ”cautiously optimistic about the talks in Egypt,” despite concerns that Hamas “might attempt to manipulate the process,” government officials told Euronews on Tuesday.
The indirect talks aimed at reaching a final agreement on a US peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza enter their second day on the two-year anniversary of its beginning.
Israel has agreed to the proposals and insists that it “is committed to (US) President (Donald) Trump’s plan and bringing every hostage home immediately,” Israeli government sources told Euronews.
“Our position is clear: the immediate release of all 48 hostages, as agreed in President Trump’s plan, is non-negotiable,” they said.
Hamas has agreed to release all the remaining Israeli hostages but says it wants further talks on several key points outlined in the US peace plan.
The group has not agreed on other parts of the deal, specifically regarding the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza as outlined in the US peace plan.
Israel’s government officials told Euronews this might be Hamas’ way of “manipulating” the process.
“Hamas might attempt to manipulate the process, acting obstinately to delay and extract further concessions”, they said, as Trump initially set a deadline for Hamas to agree to a proposed peace deal by last Sunday.
However, Israel will not be pressured to proceed regardless, the sources stated.
Speaking about his peace initiative, Trump said on Monday that “We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it’ll be a lasting deal.”
In an exclusive interview with Euronews on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said if Hamas accepts the plan, it “could be the beginning of the end of the war.”
However, if it did not, then “Israel will receive, as President Trump said, the full support of the United States to forcefully act against it to bring about an end to the war.”
“Let’s hope we can finish it the easy way and not the hard way,” Netanyahu said.