Israeli PM Netanyahu accused of stalling prisoner exchange agreement

Hamas slammed on Friday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to introduce new demands that were not part of previous proposals discussed with mediators from Egypt and Qatar.

Azat al-Rashq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, accused Netanyahu of stalling the talks, searching for reasons to obstruct the prisoner exchange agreement.

On Thursday, Netanyahu said that any agreement resulting from current negotiations "must allow Tel Aviv to return to combat in Gaza," claiming that Hamas "is holding firm to demands that jeopardize Israel's security."

"Netanyahu's frantic attempts to add new demands and titles, which were not included in all previous proposals with the mediators, confirm that he is still stalling, procrastinating, and seeking to obstruct the agreement," al-Rashq said in a statement published by Hamas on Telegram.

In May, US President Joe Biden highlighted a plan to reach a prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas and to establish a cease-fire in Gaza.

The plan outlines the basic principles for a prisoner swap and the complete restoration of calm in Gaza, forming the basis of ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

Despite months of mediation efforts, hindered by Israeli reluctance under US cover, a comprehensive agreement has yet to be reached.

On Thursday evening, a high-level Israeli delegation led by security agency Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar traveled to Cairo for a fresh round of negotiations with Hamas on a prisoner exchange and cease-fire deal.

So far, efforts by the US, Qatar, and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Over 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.