Hamas says it won’t release hostages unless Israel stops war

An Israeli official responded, ‘There is a determination to continue the talks, but we have no illusions.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

In a response to renewed negotiations for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, Hamas responded on Thursday night that it wouldn’t agree to release any hostages unless Israel stops the war.

In a statement, Hamas said, “We have informed the mediators of our clear position that if the occupation stops the war and aggression against our people in Gaza – we will be ready to reach a complete agreement that includes a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal.”

Senior Hamas official Muhammad Mardawi said last night: “There is no point in participating in negotiations that we know in advance will not lead to any results.”

An Israeli official responded that although a hostage release agreement seemed elusive, Israel was determined to continue.

“There is a determination to continue the talks, but we have no illusions,” the official said.

They continued, “It is clear to everyone that Sinwar is trying to force a cease-fire, and it will not happen.”

“If Hamas wants a ceasefire and a ceasefire, it will only happen as part of a hostage deal and not as a precondition,” they concluded.

In early May, Hamas claimed that it accepted a proposed hostage deal with Israel, although at the time, Israeli officials warned of a possible ruse.

The deal in early May included the freeing of 33 Israeli captives over the course of a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of hundreds of jailed Arab terrorists.

However, it was clear at the time that the agreement that Israel had initially agreed to had been revised.

Several Israeli officials warned that Hamas added a number of clauses into the prior draft of the deal, fundamentally changing the proposal agreed upon by the Israeli and Egyptian delegates.

“This is not the same proposal,” one official told Channel 12, noting that “All kinds of clauses” have been inserted into the ceasefire deal.

The new clauses reportedly concerned the conditions for ending the current war.

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