Hostage deal negotiations were slowed down due to Israel's appointment of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to lead the talks, CNN reported on Friday, citing officials involved in the negotiations.
Dermer was appointed in February to lead the negotiations for the Israeli delegation in the second phase of the hostage release deal.
Dermer's presence in the negotiations brought a “significant difference in momentum,” CNN quoted a source involved in the talks as saying. "There is a clear shift in [Israeli] priorities. Negotiations are seemingly being politicized from the Israeli team," the source added.
In response to the CNN publication, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum noted their concern, stating that "while we were promised that Dermer's appointment would lead to a breakthrough, in reality, it seems that something else is happening.
Demands to take further action
The organization also demanded that Dermer either take further action to release all the hostages from captivity or step down from his role, saying "59, or resign." The organization made these statements nearly two weeks after they wrote a letter, signed by 50 family members of hostages, to the minister, demanding a meeting with them, highlighting their frustration with the lack of progress in the negotiations.
The source CNN cited also implied that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad Director David Barnea were easier to work with when they were involved in the hostage talks.
With Dermer's close alignment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the report claimed that the brushing over of Bar and Barnea for Dermer was the Israeli leader's way of having more control over the negotiations.
'A campaign that serves Hamas'
The Prime Minister's Office also issued a statement in response to the CNN report, saying that its publication "is a campaign that serves Hamas."
CNN also quoted an Israeli official who criticized claims that Dermer was halting negotiations, saying, "Negotiations need to be judged by results, not process."
Shir Perets, Maariv Online, and Hodia Ran contributed to this report.