Mossad on Sunday morning issued a statement saying, “It has been over a week since the Cairo meeting – Hamas has rejected the outline that was tabled by the mediators.”
The rejection by Hamas came a few hours after the end of the unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel, and a week after the departure of all the IDF maneuvering forces from the Gaza Strip.
The Mossad statement continued: “The rejection of the proposal by the three mediators, which included the most significant flexibility on Israel’s part, proves that Sinwar does not want a humanitarian deal and the return of the hostages, is continuing to exploit the tension with Iran, and is striving to unite the sectors and achieve a general escalation in the region.
“Israel will continue to strive to realize the objectives of the war with Hamas with full force, and leave no stone unturned to return the 133 hostages from Gaza forthwith.”
The Israeli proposal included, among other things, three phases, that would include the release of approximately 1,000 terrorists from Israeli prisons, an increase in humanitarian aid to the Strip, and the opening of main roads in the Strip to free movement.
The Israeli proposal also included the release of only 40 Israeli hostages, including 5 female soldiers who are in Hamas captivity, but required Hamas to “compromise” on its demands regarding the selection of the terrorists to be released. Hamas demanded that some of the released prisoners be senior terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands.
The rejection followed protests across Israel, including in front of PM Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, accusing him of evading a hostage deal to prolong his political career, and saying he is responsible for the raping of Israeli women in Gaza.
