IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Sunday that the military has created the conditions in Gaza for a hostage deal with the Hamas terror group, reportedly adding behind closed doors that the government must accept the proposal that’s currently on offer.

Senior Israeli officials, however, said the phased-release framework that Hamas said it accepted last week is no longer relevant.

“There is a deal on the table, it’s the improved Witkoff framework [proposed by the US Mideast envoy],” Zamir said while visiting the Haifa naval base, according to Channel 13 news. He reportedly said that “now it’s in Netanyahu’s hands,” and that “there is great danger to the lives of the hostages in taking over Gaza City.”

In official remarks released by the Israel Defense Forces, Zamir said the military has met the objectives of its “Gideon’s Chariots” operation against Hamas in Gaza, “and as a result of the military pressure, we created the conditions for the release of the hostages.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene the security cabinet on Tuesday to discuss Gaza and efforts to reach a hostage deal, Channel 12 reported on Monday evening. The TV network said that it will be decided either Monday or Tuesday where the new round of negotiations is to be held, though their timing and the make-up of the team are still not determined.

Previous rounds of negotiations throughout the 22-month war have taken place in Egypt and Qatar, countries that have played key roles as intermediaries between Israel and the terror group.

According to Channel 12, the next round of talks may take place in the United Arab Emirates, or possibly in Europe. Also to be decided, according to the TV report, is whether the composition of the delegation will be any different from the group that went to Qatar last month before that round of talks........

© The Times of Israel