An aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Tel Aviv had accepted a framework deal, advanced by US President Joe Biden to wind down the war, even as Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
In an interview, Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, said Biden’s proposal was “a deal we agreed to”, adding that though it’s not a good deal, but Israel dearly wanted the prisoners released, all of them.
“There are a lot of details to be worked out,” he said, adding that Israeli conditions, including the release of prisoners and the destruction of Hamas had not changed.
Biden has hailed several ceasefire proposals over the past several months, each with similar frameworks to the one he outlined on Friday, all of which collapsed.
The primary sticking point has been Israel’s insistence that it would discuss only temporary pauses to fighting until Hamas is destroyed. Hamas, which shows no sign of stepping aside, says it will free the prisoners only under a path to a permanent end to the war.
Hamas has provisionally welcomed the Biden initiative.
“Biden’s speech included positive ideas, but we want this to materialise within the framework of a comprehensive agreement that meets our demands,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said.
Hamas wants a guaranteed end to the Gaza offensive, withdrawal of all invading forces, free movement for Palestinians, and reconstruction aid.
