Israel's Haaretz newspaper's front page stated that the Israeli government is increasing the budget deficit to fund the war, and the prime minister has been vague on the issue of the hostage exchange.
After Hamas announced on Monday that it had accepted the latest version of the ceasefire proposal, Prime Minister Netanyahu has remained vague in his response to part of the hostage agreement and the framework for ending the war.
According to sources, the proposal is very similar to one that Israel agreed to three weeks ago. The families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip have urged Netanyahu to accept the hostage agreement accepted by Hamas, while cabinet ministers have approved a fifth increase in the national budget and deficit for the years-long war effort, including allocating billions of shekels for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Given Netanyahu's previous statements supporting a comprehensive agreement, and considering the opposition from right-wing cabinet members such as Religious Zionism and Jewish Power, political sources said Netanyahu still intends to reach an agreement to bring back all the hostages, rather than just some, and he is determined to implement military operations aimed at occupying Gaza City.
However, Netanyahu has left room for a partial agreement. The only official statement on the matter came from a senior official, who did not rule out the possibility of supporting a partial agreement. The statement said, "Israel's policy remains consistent and unchanged. Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages as requested."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840980780546048/
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