Hamas refuses to pause fighting in exchange for release of hostages – The Wall Street Journal

The Palestinian radical group Hamas has rejected an Israeli offer to halt hostilities in the Gaza Strip for a week in exchange for the release of approximately 40 hostages.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, citing Egyptian officials

Details: The head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, who met with intelligence representatives in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Israel's proposal, stated that he sought to achieve a ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza. 

Egyptian officials state that Israel demanded the release of 40 hostages, including all women, children, and elderly individuals in need of urgent medical assistance, in exchange for suspending its ground and aerial operations in Gaza for a week and further humanitarian aid to the enclave.

Egyptian officials asserted that Hamas's refusal is not a breakdown in negotiations but rather an attempt to exert pressure on Israel to offer more concessions. Representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, participated in the hostage release negotiations for the first time and also insisted that Israel must cease fire before talks can begin.

The Islamic Jihad also demands that Israel release thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for over 100 hostages remaining in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad, recognised by the U.S. as a terrorist organisation, took part in attacks in Israel on 7 October and seized hostages.

Hamas claimed that not all hostages are under its control, which may explain the involvement of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the negotiations. Israel made its proposal as Israeli forces intensified operations in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where the military leadership of Hamas is believed to be hiding.

The military wing of Hamas did not respond to requests for comments. A representative of the Israeli government declined to comment. Israel says that 108 hostages remain alive in Gaza, including 19 women and two children. Hamas claimed that three hostages from the Israeli list, 32-year-old Shiri Bibas and her two children (the youngest hostages in Gaza), were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel has not confirmed the deaths.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that he hopes military pressure will compel Hamas to return to the negotiating table and release all hostages. Netanyahu claimed that military pressure was key to the November ceasefire agreement, during which Hamas released 105 out of approximately 240 hostages.

Hostilities resumed on 1 December after a one-week hiatus when Hamas failed to provide a list of women and children to be released next. A spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad announced on Wednesday that the delegation would head to Cairo in the coming days.

Background: 

• The Biden administration and Israel's other Western allies are pushing Netanyahu to change tactics in the war to limit civilian casualties in Gaza.
• Israeli officials say that the country's armed forces will wage war at their own pace and will not deviate from their goal of destroying Hamas and its leadership. That's why the attacks on Khan Yunis, where Israeli officials say Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar is hiding in the group's extensive network of underground tunnels.

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