After several days of meetings, leaks, statements and confusing information about the possibility of a new ceasefire that includes the release of part of the 129 kidnapped in captivity and the release of Palestinian prisoners, Hamas has officially announced that it will not negotiate until that the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip does not end. The fundamentalist group accompanied its statement this Thursday with the largest burst of projectiles in recent weeks against populations in central Israel whose Army has intensified its bombing on day number 76 of the war.
“There is a national Palestinian decision not to talk about captives and not to make agreements for the exchange of prisoners, except after a total cessation of aggression,” Hamas said in a consensus decision with the rest of the Palestinian factions. In this way, the position of the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahia Sinwar, who is supposedly hiding in one of the tunnels in the south of the very poor Palestinian enclave, is imposed since he is the number one objective of the Israeli Intelligence services after planning the attack that killed 1,200 people in addition to the kidnapping of more than 240 others on October 7 in southern Israel.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week of disagreements between Sinwar and the Hamas leader abroad, Ismail Haniyah. He traveled from Doha to Cairo to meet with the head of Egyptian Intelligence, Abbas Kamal, about the possibility of a new truce and exchange. “Any proposal regarding prisoners must be discussed after the cessation of aggression,” clarifies Haniyah’s press advisor, Taher Al Nono, aligning himself with the Hamas leadership in Gaza. After again supporting the 7-0 attack, the Islamist leader, Ghezi Hamed, added: “We do not want a pause of one or two weeks for Israel to receive hostages and then carry out massacres in the Gaza Strip again.”
A month ago, Sinwar accepted the agreement that freed 121 kidnapped people (all the children and mothers except Shiri Bibas and her two small children, older Israeli women and foreigners) in exchange for a ceasefire of several days that was ultimately not met. expanded last December 1. Sinwar, who demands an end to the war and the release of all Palestinian prisoners, hopes that international pressure will force Israel to stop its offensive.
The truce would be a relief both for the inhabitants of a territory under incessant bombs and hit by a serious humanitarian crisis and for the leadership of Hamas since it would prevent its dismantling as an armed group that controls Gaza.
The United States, however, calls on the international community to demand that Hamas hand over its weapons and release those kidnapped to allow the war to end. This is what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this Wednesday, who denounced the Islamist group’s position in the negotiations: “Israel is willing to pause in exchange for the kidnapped people, but the problem continues to be with Hamas.” During their visits to Tel Aviv in the last week, several American leaders conveyed two messages to their hosts. On the one hand, they do not dictate deadlines to end what they defined as “a necessary operation against Hamas to avoid more attacks like those on October 7” and they guarantee to continue their diplomatic and military support. On the other hand, advise – some would rightly say pressure – Israel to move from the current massive phase of the offensive to a selective one that would also allow for greater humanitarian aid and reduce the number of civilian deaths.
Hamas’s announcement cools – although it does not bury – the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the US and leads members of the Israeli cabinet to unify positions on the offensive “to put more pressure on Sinwar regarding our kidnapped people.”
In the first reaction to the Hamas statement, Israeli government sources clarified that “the operation launched after the terrorist attack will continue until Hamas is eliminated, the kidnapped are returned and Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel.” “Hamas has two options, surrender or die,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned again this Thursday. Last week, the hostages’ relatives demanded that he present a proposal. Days later, Israeli emissaries reportedly proposed a pause in the war for one to two weeks in exchange for the release of at least 40 Israeli kidnapped people.
Shortly after Hamas’ statement, sirens sounded in cities in central Israel. Iron Dome neutralized most of the 30 projectiles. The Ezzedin Al Qassam Brigades pointed out that it was the response to the latest Israeli bombings. According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, around 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the air and ground military offensive.
Israel, which has 137 soldiers killed in the raid, announced the discovery of a wide network of tunnels serving the Hamas leadership, including Sinwar and the head of the armed wing, Mohamed Deif, connecting their homes, offices and training centers. command in the center of Gaza City.
The UN warns of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in which more than two thirds of the 2.2 million inhabitants are internally displaced. Their warning focuses on the shortage of water and food and the collapse of the health system. According to Richard Peeperkorn, a WHO representative, there are no operational hospitals in northern Gaza due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies. “The situation is catastrophic,” he warns, explaining that only nine of the 36 Gazan health centers are functioning.
