Hamas has hit out at Netanyahu for “procrastinating” when it comes to implementing the stages of the ceasefire deal [Getty]
Israel will send a lower-level delegation to Doha on Saturday, including officials from Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence services, for ongoing ceasefire talks on Gaza, Israeli media reported.
According to The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, delegations headed by Mossad chief David Barnea typically conduct indirect negotiations with Hamas.
The choice of the low-ranking officials could signal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to delay the second phase of the truce deal from being implemented, following the release of Israeli and Palestinian captives.
The delegation arriving in Doha will not be discussing the second stage and focus instead on the implementation of the current first phase, according to Israeli media reports.
Netanyahu’s comments in Washington this week have stirred debate about Israel’s willingness to abide by all the terms and conditions of the ceasefire agreement, as the PM suggested “extending the first phase of the deal”, according to Israeli media reports.
Another Israeli official said: “If Hamas does not agree that they will no longer control Gaza, Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi (Salah al-Din) corridor.”
Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou hit out at Netanyahu’s actions, saying: “[Israel] is obstructing the humanitarian protocols in the ceasefire agreement, and is evasive and is procrastinating implementing it”.
He added that Hamas was currently concerned with shelter, relief and reconstruction for people in Gaza, and these are “urgent humanitarian issues that cannot withstand procrastination from the occupation”.
Israel has been restricting the entry of essential aid items such as tents, medicine, and equipment to remove the rubble caused by Israeli bombing.
Meanwhile, Egypt is pushing for the implementation of the truce deal in Gaza and wants to ensure all three stages are completed, according to comments by Foreign Minister Bade Abdel Aati.
The latest developments come amid an increasingly fragile period following comments from Trump in which he announced he would like to see a plan where the US would “own” Gaza and Palestinians displaced from the Strip.
The comments were vehemently lambasted by several Arab states who reiterated their support for a future Palestinian state, while rights groups and other countries have also strongly criticised Trump’s comments.
Following the widespread backlash, Netanyahu hinted Palestinians should go ahead and establish their own state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their homeland.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” he said in an interview on Thursday with the Israeli Channel14.
He further wrote off that a future Palestinian state was necessary for Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalise ties, saying it was a “security threat to Israel”.
“I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible, I think it’s going to happen,” he added.
Sanctions on the ICC
Meanwhile, Trump also signed an executive order to authorise heavy economic sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) which last year issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
He accused the globally recognised organisation of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting Israel and the US. He added the ICC “abused its power” and “set a dangerous precedent” that endangered US citizens and the military by issuing the arrest warrants.
The sanctions will include asset freezes and travel bans on ICC staff and family members if the US finds that they are involved in investigations that will result in the prosecution of citizens of the US and their allies.
Trump also said the US will block ICC officials and family members from entering the US.
Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision, later posting a message on social media thanking him.
“It will defend America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemitic corrupt court that has no jurisdiction or basis to engage in lawfare against us,” the message read in part.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, decried the move, calling it vindictive.
“It is a brutal step that seeks to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades if not centuries: global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all,” she said in a statement.
