Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday sidestepped questions from reporters about partial hostage deals, but newly disclosed remarks from last week�s Cabinet meeting reveal deep divisions over Israel�s negotiating stance � and the risks of rejecting incremental agreements.

According to accounts from the closed-door session, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer told ministers that Washington�s position, as conveyed by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to hostage families, was clear: �all or nothing.� Dermer said he backed that approach, arguing a comprehensive deal for all 50 hostages, alive and dead, was preferable and warning there was no time to pursue smaller agreements. �We don�t have all the time in the world � not from [President Donald] Trump�s perspective either,� Dermer said. �If the talks go on for a long time, we can�t afford a partial deal. By the end of a 60-day pause, we may not have the credit to resume fighting.�

Netanyahu pressed him: �So you mean if Hamas offers a partial deal, we refuse?� Dermer replied, �If such an offer comes, we�ll see.�

National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi took a sharply different line, telling ministers there was still a chance to rescue at least 10 living hostages under an initial framework, and another 10 in a follow-on agreement. In his view, a rigid �all or nothing� demand would push Hamas toward nothing. �It�s clear to me that to achieve this, we need an operational lever,� he added, backing the IDF chief of staff�s plan to encircle all remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza.

Hours after Netanyahu publicly ordered the military to expedite the capture of Gaza City, Hamas sources told Ynet a senior delegation would meet Egyptian intelligence officials on Monday to discuss Israel�s threats of a major offensive, the stalled hostage talks, and the fallout from Witkoff�s recent meeting with Qatar�s prime minister in Ibiza.

Arab media on Monday reported renewed mediation efforts. Lebanon�s Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar said Cairo is preparing to host Hamas leadership �as part of efforts led by Cairo and Doha to resume negotiations before the launch of a new military operation.� Qatar�s Al Araby channel reported that the delegation will be headed by senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya. Egyptian and Qatari officials are reportedly working on an �alternative vision� � potentially a compromise between full and partial deals � that could include a 60-day or longer ceasefire backed by U.S. and international guarantees.

Meanwhile, Al-Akhbar claimed the Trump administration floated a plan to relocate about one million Gazans to Libya, a proposal Libya publicly rejected but which Cairo fears could gain traction under U.S. pressure.

Netanyahu told Israeli media that victory would come through �sophisticated methods that will surprise Hamas,� and later spoke with Trump. The Prime Minister�s Office said the two discussed plans to seize Hamas strongholds �to end the war by freeing the hostages and defeating the terror organization.�

While Netanyahu declared Hamas� demands � including the release of Nukhba commandos, guarantees against resumed fighting, and an Israeli pullout from the Philadelphi Corridor � �surrender terms� no government could accept, some mediators said the gaps between the sides were �small and bridgeable.� Several officials accused Israel of breaking off negotiations prematurely.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)