The Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, is expected to brief the War Council today, Monday, on the progress of a prisoner exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. The briefing comes amid disputes within the Israeli government over the war in the Gaza Strip and pressure from the families of the detainees to reach a deal.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Mossad Chief David Barnea will participate in the War Council this evening to provide information about a potential prisoner swap with Hamas which could formulate a new deal.
Israel has rejected Hamas’ terms, which include a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas they have entered in the Gaza Strip for the prisoner swap, claiming that these conditions threatened its security, and that military pressure would compel Hamas to agree to an Israeli-conditioned prisoner exchange.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing intense pressure to recover the detainees captured during the operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7 last year, particularly since some of them were killed by Israeli fire.
Out of approximately 250 detainees, about 100 were released in a temporary humanitarian truce at the end of November last year, while 132 remain in Gaza, of which 27 have died without their bodies being returned, according to Israeli data.
It is noteworthy that on December 13 last year, the Israeli newspaper “Maariv” reported that Netanyahu prevented the Mossad Chief from discussing the conclusion of a new prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance mediated by Qatar.
