Netanyahu rejects Hamas' response to reach a truce: "It is surrendering to delirious demands"

Israel and Hamas are moving away from a ceasefire coinciding with the visit of the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, aimed at making progress towards an unprecedented pause in the war that they have been maintaining for exactly four months.. The counterproposal of the fundamentalist group to the framework of the agreement outlined and agreed upon at the meeting held in Paris between the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Israel on January 28 has been rejected by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.. “Surrendering to the delirious demands of Hamas will not only not lead to the release of the hostages but would invite another massacre and a huge disaster for Israel,” he stated, ensuring that “total victory is within reach.”. Despite everything, the indirect negotiation continues with a new round of meetings starting this Thursday in Cairo.

After more than a week of marathon internal consultations (leaders in Gaza and Qatar, prisoners in Israel, etc.) and external consultations (the rest of the armed Palestinian factions, the mediators and Iran), Hamas sent Doha and Cairo a three-pronged proposal. phases to end the war. The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed on Wednesday that “Hamas's response has been delivered through the Qatari mediator to Mossad and its details are being studied in depth by those responsible for the negotiation.”. 24 hours later, Netanyahu assured that “it is not a matter of years but of months” to achieve a victory after a devastating operation that, he reiterated, has three objectives: “End Hamas, free those kidnapped and guarantee that Gaza is no longer a threat on Israel”.

“In four months, the Army has killed or wounded some 20,000 terrorists, which is more than half of Hamas's armed force, and we have dismantled 18 of its 24 battalions,” he added, also accusing Iran of being behind the Palestinian militia.. Islamist spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri responded that his comments “are a form of political bravado that indicate his intention to continue the conflict in the region.”. Hamas is prepared to face all options.”.

With an agreement to be fulfilled in three stages of 45 days each, Hamas proposed opening the door to a ceasefire that could allow the departure of the 136 Israeli hostages (among them, 31 are dead according to Israel) but with one condition. central that Israel rejects, determined to put an end to the armed group and its control of Gaza: the commitment to the definitive – and not just temporary – cessation of the military offensive launched in response to the Hamas attack on October 7.

During the 135 days of truce provided for in its counterproposal, Hamas would gradually release the hostages still in captivity of the more than 240 kidnapped 124 days ago in southern Israel.. In the first phase, children, women, the sick and the elderly, while in the second phase the release of men, including soldiers, would be negotiated.. In the third phase, there would be an exchange of corpses.

In exchange, Hamas ultimately demands the cessation of all Israeli military activities and the withdrawal of its soldiers from the Gaza Strip (in the first phase it would be from populated areas), the increase of humanitarian aid to at least 500 trucks daily (as before the war) and the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners. Among them are women, minors, the sick, those over 50 years of age and about 500, whose identity will be decided by Hamas, who are serving life or long sentences for serious attacks in Israel.. A difficult point for the Israeli Government to accept – despite the enormous pressure from the families of those kidnapped – such as the demand to release the Islamists detained after participating on October 7 in the largest attack in the history of the country.

“We responded to the proposal in a positive spirit that guarantees a complete and total ceasefire, an end to the fighting, a promise of humanitarian aid, the reconstruction of the Strip, the lifting of the blockade and the exchange agreement,” Hamas said. about a text that the Reuters agency had access to.

While Qatar saw the response of the Islamists positively within the caution “in such sensitive moments”, Biden defined it as “a little exaggerated” although he clings to hope around “certain movements” on the tortuous path towards a agreement. “There is a lot of work to do,” admitted Blinken, who mentioned in Jerusalem the suffering of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza.

COMPLETE NEGOTIATION

As in any negotiation, the key to successful mediation is to combine the main objectives of the two parties without them feeling like they are losing.. However, from the point of view of Hamas leader Yahia Sinwar, victory was already achieved with the massive armed infiltration exactly four months ago into the territory of his enemy.

In theory, there is a head-on clash between two essential goals declared by Hamas and Israel. The Israelis want the kidnapped people to return home and to do so they agree to park but not give up the other major objective of the unprecedented offensive in the Gaza Strip: “Dismantle the terrorist group and avoid another October 7 from Gaza”. Beyond the divergences in the restricted war cabinet created after the incorporation of the centrist leader Benny Gantz and in the broader cabinet where the ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrish are located, the polls indicate a majority in favor of continuing the offensive against Hamas, but also a pause to free the kidnapped.

Hamas, for its part, aspires to a definitive cessation of the offensive (not just a one-week pause as happened at the end of November that allowed the release of 110 hostages in exchange for some 300 Palestinian prisoners), the Israeli withdrawal and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. The end of the war would not only be a long-awaited relief for the desperate Gazan population but would allow Hamas to remain “alive” as a militia (although after losing around 10,500 armed forces according to Israeli data) and Government of Gaza (whether exclusively as since 2007 or shared with Al Fatah).

According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, the Israeli offensive has caused more than 27,500 deaths in the Palestinian enclave.. 85% of its 2.3 million inhabitants are internally displaced and, after their evacuation, the vast majority are in the Rafah area, near the border with Egypt.. A truce agreement could stop – or postpone – the Army's plans to carry out an incursion in Rafah after ending the one that is taking place in the last week in Khan Yunis where Sinwar is believed to be in a tunnel. As Defense Minister Yoav Gallant already did, Netanyahu announced that his Army received orders to “prepare to act in Rafah and in the two camps in the center of the Strip, the last remaining fiefdoms of Hamas, also following International Law.” and allowing the population safe passage out of combat zones”. The UN and the US have expressed their concern about the possible incursion into that area. 227 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground operation that began at the end of October as part of the massive operation after the Hamas attack that left 1,200 dead and more than 240 kidnapped in southern Israel.

Beyond trying to achieve a ceasefire that would put an end to the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza and free the Israeli hostages, Blinken discussed the situation against Hezbollah with Israeli leaders.. Tension has skyrocketed on the increasingly agitated Israeli-Lebanese border since last October 8, and as a show of support for Hamas and Gaza, the pro-Iranian militia began attacks from Lebanon against northern Israel, which responds with forceful attacks in the south of the arab country. Since that day, the great fear of the US is that the war in Gaza will lead to another between Israel and Hezbollah.