Hostages will only be released if Israel withdraws – Gaza analyst

Hamas rejected Israel’s proposal to secure the release of 10 hostages in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iyad Al-Qara, a Gaza-based Palestinian political analyst who has ties to Hamas, asserts that the terror group has proposed releasing the hostages on the condition that Israel end the war and withdraw its troops from Gaza.

According to Al-Qara, when Hamas rejected a proposal by the US and Israel for a temporary ceasefire, they offered another alternative, which would depend on Israel altogether ceasing its military operations so the reconstruction of Gaza could begin.

He argues that Israel, not Hamas, is the problematic side for not agreeing to end the war.

Internal divisions within Israeli society, Al-Qara argues, arise because of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, which he blames for harming negotiations and the lives of the hostages.

He added that Israel is also in conflict with its allies and has two choices – to end the war or continue struggling in a stalemate situation.

On Thursday night, Hamas rejected Israel’s proposal to secure the release of 10 hostages in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire.

“We will not accept partial deals that serve Netanyahu’s political agenda,”  Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’s negotiating team said in a statement.
Al-Hayya defined “Netanyahu’s political agenda” as a continuation of the war.

“He [Netanyahu] uses partial agreements as a cover for his agenda, which is rooted in continuing the annihilation even if it means sacrificing his own captives,” the statement said.

“We welcome the stance of the American envoy, Adam Boehler, to resolve both the issue of the captives and the war simultaneously. This aligns with the position of the movement.”

“Netanyahu responded to the mediators’ proposal with demands that are deliberately unworkable, conditions that neither pave the way for peace nor signal any intention to withdraw,” the statement continued.

“We are prepared to enter immediate negotiations toward a comprehensive agreement – one that secures the release of all captives in our custody in exchange for a mutually agreed number of our prisoners held by the occupying forces,” it continued.

“In return, the occupation must bring a full and unconditional end to its war on our people and completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip.”