A source in the Israeli negotiating team accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday of obstructing an agreement and bearing responsibility if the negotiations fail.

The unnamed source accuses Netanyahu of imposing new demands that obstruct the negotiations, as he stresses the need for Israel to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt, as well as in the Netzarim Corridor that divides the Gaza Strip into two parts.

The source pointed out that the members of the Israeli negotiating team worked hard in Doha during the last few days, but their attempts to save the chances of reaching a deal were not sufficient.

In response to these accusations, Netanyahu's office denied the source's allegations, describing them as "fake news" promoted by those who support the Hamas campaign. The office added that the prime minister rejects American proposals and continues to stick to his conditions.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority added that Netanyahu's recent statements reflect the complexity of the negotiations, as he stressed that he will not allow Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor under any circumstances, despite the great pressure.

Netanyahu expressed uncertainty about reaching an agreement, which sources in the Israeli negotiating team considered an attempt to undermine the efforts.

Demonstrations in Tel Aviv

At the same time, Tel Aviv witnessed demonstrations by a number of Israelis on Tuesday evening, calling for an agreement to be reached. The families of the prisoners expressed their frustration with Netanyahu’s statements, considering that they practically obstruct the deal.

The families of the Israeli prisoners in Gaza said, via the X platform, that Netanyahu's statements "are practically considered a thwarting of the deal."

She added: "There is no hope or heroism in the continued death of all the kidnapped (prisoners in Gaza). The government abandoned the kidnapped on October 7, and is now abandoning them forever."

It is worth noting that the Qatari capital, Doha, hosted a round of talks on the ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners on August 15 and 16.

At the end of the round, the United States presented a new proposal to narrow the gaps between Israel and Hamas, with further talks announced in Cairo before the end of the week.

Despite the positive atmosphere that the United States spoke about, Netanyahu insisted on his conditions that Hamas rejected, including control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, and preventing the return of Palestinian faction fighters to northern Gaza by inspecting returnees through the Netzarim corridor.

For its part, Hamas confirmed that what the movement's leadership was informed of about the results of the Doha meetings constitutes a retreat from what was agreed upon on July 2, based on the agreement proposal announced by US President Joe Biden at the end of May.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 133,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and a stifling humanitarian crisis.