ReutersEarlier this week, on live television, the mother of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza made a condition to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: the release of all 109 hostages — dead or alive. are still alive – in exchange for the children of Israel’s security chief.
But instead of pushing Israeli leaders to sign a ceasefire, Ditza Or, whose son Avinatan was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in the Oct. 7 attack, Push them to fight Hamas harder.
Ms Orr and other pro-war hostage families are unlikely allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who now faces intense pressure from US allies, security chiefs and even his own defense minister , requiring him to be more flexible and reach out to more people.
Leaked reports of a recent phone call with his most important ally revealed that at one point US President Joe Biden told the Israeli leader to “stop talking nonsense”. The implication: Mr Netanyahu simply doesn’t want a deal.
Negotiations aimed at bridging the divide between Israel and Hamas are progressing slowly in Cairo this week, with revelations to Israeli media suggesting a widening rift between Netanyahu and his own negotiators and defense minister.
Dana Weiss, chief political analyst for Israel TV Channel 12, said the prime minister privately accused key negotiators and security chiefs of being “weak” and appearing to stand alone in defending Israel’s security interests.
She said they have different views on the urgency of the agreement, in part because each feels a different level of responsibility.
“The military establishment feels guilty about October 7 and feels a moral responsibility to bring back the hostages,” she explained. “Our government, our ministers, and especially Prime Minister Netanyahu do not feel responsible for the events of October 7. They place the blame solely on the military establishment and therefore do not feel the same sense of urgency to Come to an agreement.
Mr Netanyahu said getting people hostages home was his second priority in the war – after defeating Hamas – and stressed his commitment to maintaining Israel’s security “in the face of significant domestic and foreign pressure” .
The man who once cherished his image as Israel’s “Mr. Security” appears to be toying with his image again, shattered 10 months later by the attacks on 7 October.
A key sticking point in the negotiations is whether Israeli troops will withdraw from a strip of Gaza’s border with Egypt known as the Philadelphia Corridor.
Netanyahu appears to be strictly adhering to a “red line” on maintaining an Israeli military presence there, citing Israel’s security needs, despite leaks suggesting his negotiators consider this a “deal-breaker.”
Senior Hamas figure Hussam Badran told the BBC on Friday that the group would accept the withdrawal of Israeli troops, while Mr Netanyahu’s stance suggested he did not want a deal but to “manipulate Israel”[ing] Buying time through empty negotiations.”
It is widely believed that Hamas faces serious questions about what Gaza or the Palestinians gained from the October attacks after more than a decade of bombing and displacement.
The group considers a compromise on a prisoner exchange more acceptable than accepting the continued presence of Israeli troops in Gaza and the establishment of checkpoints for residents migrating north.
Egypt is also understood to reject any deal that does not include Palestinian responsibility on the other side of the shared border.
Mohamed Saber/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Hamas has not officially joined the current round of talks, and many believe Mr Sinwar’s own priority is to keep the Gaza war going in order to spark a regional conflict that would put intense pressure on Israel and – on the grounds – force The Prime Minister of Israel becomes Prime Minister.
The risk of a wider escalation amid threats from Iran and Hezbollah is one of the reasons Washington is pushing so hard for a deal. With three months until the U.S. presidential election, President Joe Biden’s administration believes a ceasefire in Gaza will help stabilize the region.
Political analyst Dana Weiss said Israeli Defense Minister Yov Galante agreed that if Israel does not adopt a ceasefire – even a temporary one – then the situation is definitely heading towards escalation.
“For the prime minister, it’s the complete opposite,” she said. “He replied: No, if we surrender to Sinwar now, Hezbollah and Iran will see our weakness. We must complete the mission together with Hamas and prevent the war.
But she said Netanyahu also had domestic political motives to delay negotiations. One of those incentives is that he is now rising again in the polls after months of poor approval ratings.
Several recent surveys have ranked him at the top of respondents’ voting intentions, both in terms of his right-wing Likud party and his own persona as a leader – a result that came just a few months ago It’s unthinkable.
All eyes are now on the next talks, scheduled for Sunday. Meanwhile, Egypt has reportedly agreed to share Israel’s latest proposals for border areas with Hamas.
Mediators insist a deal is still possible, but all parties’ hopes appear to be dwindling.
After meeting the Israeli prime minister today, Ella Ben-Ami, the daughter of another Israeli hostage, said she looked Benjamin Netanyahu in the eyes and asked him to promise to do everything and not give up until they return.
She said she had “a heavy and difficult feeling that this is not going to happen anytime soon.”
The clock is ticking on these negotiations: for the people of Gaza, for the Israeli hostages still trapped in the tunnels, and for the entire region.
But for Mr. Sinwar and Mr. Netanyahu, perhaps the most powerful weapon they have in this war is time.
