“Israeli” officials involved in negotiations for a prisoner swap with Hamas expressed surprise yesterday at “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new terms for the deal.

A security official, quoted by Yedioth Ahronoth, suggested that Netanyahu’s conditions were set to deliberately obstruct the negotiations with Egypt and undermine the chances of a successful prisoner exchange.

“This behavior is inappropriate and will harm the prospects of returning the kidnapped people home,” the official stated.

Netanyahu’s firm stance

In a statement issued on Sunday, Netanyahu defended his stringent conditions, claiming that his firm stance against halting the “Israeli” army’s operations in Rafah pressured Hamas into negotiations. 

He outlined four main principles for any deal:

1. “Israel” must be allowed to resume fighting until all war objectives are achieved.
2. There will be no weapons smuggling from Egypt to the Gaza border.
3. The return of thousands of armed terrorists to northern Gaza will not be permitted.
4. “Israel” aims to maximize the number of living abductees returned from Hamas captivity.

Questions raised over timing and intent

The official also questioned the timing of Netanyahu's statement, pointing out the inconsistency of issuing conditions before deliberations were held in his office. 

“If you issued the statement [about talks conditions] before the start of the deliberations in [Netanyahu’s] office, why were the deliberations being held?” he asked.

High-level delegation heads to Cairo

In light of these developments, an “Israeli” security delegation traveled to Cairo yesterday. 

The delegation is led by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and includes Defence Ministry’s Political-Military Director Dror Shalom, the military’s Strategic Director Eliezer Toledano, and Coordinator for Government Activities in the Occupied Territories Ghassan Alian.

The Cairo talks are set to address the future of the Rafah Border Crossing. “Israel” is expected to request the construction of an “underground obstacle” in the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent weapon transfers to Gaza.