Israeli analysts and politicians agreed - in discussions on Israeli news channels - that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the one who is obstructing the indirect negotiations with the Palestinian resistance, by his adherence to the Philadelphi Corridor on the borders of Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Or Heller, the military affairs correspondent for Channel 13, spoke about what he said was a state of pessimism prevailing among the security services regarding the negotiations, and said, "The level of expectations regarding the deal must be lowered, and the main obstacle is the insistence on the Philadelphi Corridor... We have reached a crossroads."

He suggested that Israel is heading towards a specific point, which is the absence of the deal and going towards escalation.

He also confirmed that the army, the internal security service (Shabak) and the intelligence service (Mossad) are all recommending the political level to conclude the deal.

According to Raviv Drucker, a political analyst for Channel 13, “Netanyahu’s game is to show flexibility when Hamas is tough on its position, and to be tough when the other side is flexible,” and he said he does not see a deal coming.

For his part, Mickey Levy, a member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, has no doubt that Netanyahu is the one obstructing the deal, stressing that “everything possible must be done to bring back the kidnapped soldiers, otherwise we will get them in coffins.”

He said that Netanyahu’s demand to keep forces on the Philadelphi corridor was added to US President Joe Biden’s proposal, which Netanyahu himself approved, stressing that the emergence of this demand came about because of Netanyahu’s fear of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, if he goes for the deal.

According to Amichai Stein, a political correspondent for Kan 11, the Americans are siding with the Israeli position on everything related to the issue of the Israeli presence on the Philadelphi corridor.

Channel 12 political analyst Dana Weiss addressed statements she said Netanyahu made against the negotiating team, and stated that the negotiators believe they have a last chance to reach a deal to rescue the detainees in Gaza, and they consider that insisting on the Philadelphi Corridor is not an objective matter, but rather a stick in the wheel of negotiations.

Change in the nature of the fighting

Regarding the escalation on the northern front, former Israeli Air Defense Commander Zvika Haimovich told Channel 12, "There is a change in the nature of the war and fighting in the north, and Hezbollah is operating on two levels: the range has become wider, and targeting sites that it knows are inhabited and claims responsibility for, which it did not do before."

On the other hand, the Israeli media addressed the warning issued by the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, in a letter to senior officials (except for National Security Minister Ben Gvir).

Source: Al Jazeera