permanent end to the war in Gaza vs US good relations priority
Netanyahu has consistently opposed any permanent end to the war in Gaza, in part due to domestic political considerations
However the Israeli leader has made it clear that maintaining good relations with the White House is a priority
After more than 16 months of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt, Washington recently opened a direct channel of talks with Hamas with the aim of freeing US citizens abducted by the organisation during its raid into Israel
In a social media post earlier this month, Donald Trump said there would be “hell to pay” if all the 58 hostages still in Gaza were not released Fewer than half are thought to be still alive
In an attempt to pressure Hamas [with US backing] 1. Israel has cut off all supplies of goods to Gaza 2. and on Sunday stopped any remaining electricity supplies from Israel to the territory
The six-week first phase of the ceasefire led to the exchange of 25 living Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others, in return for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel
It also allowed much-needed food, shelter and medical assistance to re-enter Gaza
Official reaction from the Israeli government to the news last week of direct talks between the US and Hamas was limited to a single terse statement by the office of Netanyahu acknowledging the negotiations
But the mass-market newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth said,
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Israel had been “stunned to discover that behind its back, Trump’s envoy had 'flirted' for weeks in Doha with a senior Hamas official"
