Yahya Sinwar, speaks during a conference in Gaza city, on November 4, 2019 (Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90).
With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan only one week away, the negotiations about a ceasefire and a hostage release deal between Israel and the Hamas terror organization appear to be stuck.
War cabinet minister Benny Gantz has repeatedly stated that if there is no deal, the IDF will enter Rafah, even during Ramadan.
Israel didn’t send a delegation to the latest round of talks in Cairo on Sunday after not receiving any indications that Hamas intends to answer Israel’s remaining demands, and amid reports that the terror group insisted on an immediate end to the war.
Hamas still hasn’t yet replied to Israel’s demands for a list with the names of the living hostages that are intended to be part of the deal, as well as the “key” of a number of Palestinian prisoners to be released per Israeli hostage.
“Without these two parameters (the list of living hostages and the key to the deal) other things have no meaning. It is impossible to negotiate,” a senior Israeli official told Channel 12 News.
“There is a clear picture here: Sinwar made a decision that in Ramadan he wants chaos and bloodshed instead of humanitarian aid, peace and a ceasefire for his population,” the official said.
Even if the outstanding issues will be resolved in talks between Israel, the Hamas representatives, and the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Sinwar might still decide not to take the deal.
The leader of the terror group’s Gaza branch hasn’t been in contact with the outside world for over a week, raising concerns that he won’t be reachable to implement an eventual deal, Egyptian and Qatari officials told the Wall Street Journal.
According to the last message Sinwar sent to Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar, he is holding out for an Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, hoping that the resulting civilian deaths would incite Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank to violently rise against Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is upping the pressure on all sides to reach a deal before Ramadan.
President Joe Biden called Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Thursday, telling them to get him a deal, according to Axios.
“All three leaders agreed the onus is currently on Hamas to close remaining gaps in the package, an informed U.S. source told the news site. “The Egyptian and Qatari leaders described their efforts with Hamas and shared the sense of urgency to get this done.”
With Israel accepting the outlines of the deal, all that is needed is for Hamas to agree, a U.S. official said. “We still hope we can get a deal by Ramadan. The ball is in Hamas’ court.”
A senior Israeli official described the chances of reaching the deal at 50-50. “Biden’s personal involvement and his calls with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt are very important,” the official said.
On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris underlined the administration’s urgency to reach a deal, saying, “Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next 6 weeks.”
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