Hamas insists on the release of “heavy” terrorist prisoners, including murderers with blood on their hands, in exchange for the release of sick and elderly hostages in the first phase of the deal, Kan11 reported Saturday night, citing a foreign source privy to the discussions.
A PA source involved in the negotiations told Kan11 that Hamas had not increased the number of prisoners it demands to be released in exchange for each hostage. Still, the dispute is focused on the number of “heavy” terrorist prisoners that will be released as part of the deal. The PA source claims that Hamas did not harden its positions, but stuck to the conditions it set at the start of negotiations.
On the other hand, foreign and Israeli sources involved in the negotiations estimate that the prospects for a deal are slim. The differences between the parties seem significant, and without flexibility on the part of both parties, it won’t be easy to reach agreement.
The new hurdle in the form of Hamas’s sudden insistence on altering the terms of prisoner releases by Israel highlights the exasperating and often agonizing nature of negotiations that have consumed the attention of senior US officials, including President Joe Biden, for three-quarters of a year. On multiple occasions, the United States, collaborating with Qatar and Egypt, believed an agreement was imminent. However, these hopes were repeatedly dashed as either Israel or Hamas introduced fresh demands, causing significant setbacks to the talks that lasted weeks or even months.
The most recent developments have severely undermined Biden’s prolonged efforts to broker a cease-fire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. The deal now hangs by a thread, with US officials reevaluating their strategy. This setback comes at a time when they had initially planned to present both parties in the near future with the notorious final “take it or leave it” proposal.
The Biden administration estimates that both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar feel no urgency to reach an agreement at the moment, Haaretz reported on Sunday. Although Sinwar was disappointed last month, when Iran and Hezbollah did not start a full-scale war against Israel as he had hoped, he draws encouragement from the increase in terrorism in Judea and Samaria and hopes that a second front would engage Israel there. The administration, it should be noted, warned Israel six months ago about the possibility of a violent flare-up in Judea and Samaria that would oblige the IDF to move more forces there, and reduce the pressure exerted on Hamas in Gaza. According to the Americans’ analysis, Sinwar has not yet given up on this possibility.
Netanyahu’s press conferences regarding the Philadelphi corridor caused great frustration in the administration. “The chances of an agreement were not high before either, but Netanyahu reduced them even more,” an American official told Haaretz. “In order to achieve a compromise that will be acceptable to both sides on any issue, this issue should not be in the headlines too much. It will be very difficult to achieve a compromise on the issue of the Philadelphi corridor after what Netanyahu did. Hamas understands that Philadelphi has become a symbol, and they will not be in a hurry to give up.”
The organizers of Saturday night’s demonstrations in several Israeli cities demanding a “deal now” claimed there were 400,000 protesters outside the defense ministry on Saturday night. Looking at the images there were less than 100,000, as the majority of Israelis are not buying the argument that the deal is up to Netanyahu.
