Barak: Deal with Hamas ignores Israel's demands; Trump does not consider Netanyahu

Former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Ehud Barak criticized the outlines of the ongoing deal regarding the Gaza Strip, considering that it does not achieve the demands that the Israeli government has been raising since the beginning of the war, foremost among them disarming the Hamas movement and expelling its leaders. Barak said the agreement "completely ignores Israel," claiming that it does not include any clause related to disarming Hamas or deporting its leaders outside the Gaza Strip, which he considered a retreat from the goals declared by the occupation government at the beginning of the war. In a related context, Barak criticized the head of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the nature of the relationship between him and US President Donald Trump, saying that "the painful truth is that Trump does not consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu." He added that Trump told reporters on more than one occasion that Netanyahu "will implement what he dictates," in reference to the extent of influence the US administration exerts on the decisions of the Israeli government, especially regarding the file of negotiations and agreements related to the Gaza Strip. Barak's statements come amid continued regional and international efforts aimed at reaching an agreement on the Gaza Strip, amid a divergence in Israeli positions regarding the terms of the agreement, and escalating criticism within Israeli political and military circles of the performance of Netanyahu's government and its management of the war and negotiations file.