GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 254

Hamas Is Not Flexible

Hamas Blames Israel

As the recent talks to produce a ceasefire and hostage release fall apart, Hamas is blaming Israel for it as we see in a report from 124new.tv:

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's Political Bureau, said the terrorist group's response to a ceasefire proposal was in line with principals set forth by US President Joe Biden and a UN Security Council resolution.

He went on to say this:

In a recorded speech for the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday, Haniyeh said "Hamas and all the opposition factions showed great seriousness and flexibility to reach an agreement that would stop the aggression."

Haniyeh said Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad responded to Qatar "consistent with the principles brought forth in Biden's speech and the Security Council's decision regarding the three stages of the deal."

While making Hamas look like the reasonable ones he then blamed Israel for the deal falling apart:

Despite this, he blamed Israel for "continuing with their evasions and attempts to deceive... aimed at obtaining the abductees and then renewing the war of extermination."

Of course they want to end the war now. They are very close to losing and desperately want to survive. And they won’t release any hostages unless they are assured they will survive. Haniyeh and Hamas want continued negotiations because that means they are alive to do it:

Haniyeh insisted that an end to fighting must be brought about through negotiations, remaining uncompromising on "a permanent ceasefire, a total withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the restoration of the Strip and a deal for the exchange of prisoners."

Israel sees through the political smoke screen and has every intention of finishing what they started:

Biden announced an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in late May, although this plan has as described has been met with fierce criticism by Israeli leaders.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to leave the government if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected a permanent ceasefire that would allow Hamas to remain in power in Gaza.

Hamas wants everyone to agree to stop fighting permanently before they will talk about a hostage deal:

Hamas reportedly demanded the US enforce assurances that Israel will implement a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of forces from Gaza.

That simply isn’t going to happen. Hamas has proven they won’t stop fighting Israel until all Jews have left the area or are dead. Those are their words, not mine. That hardly sounds like they are being flexible at all.

Hezbollah Pushes Stalling

In a report found in The Times Of Israel we see that Hezbollah wants Hamas to sound reasonable and make Israel look stubborn:

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has reportedly advised Hamas to be “flexible” in its response to the proposed ceasefire and hostage deal presented by US President Joe Biden last month after the terror group made multiple “amendments” to the offer in its response, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Citing an unnamed Israeli source, Kan attests that Hamas approached Hezbollah to discuss the ceasefire proposal and how it could best respond. In turn, Hezbollah is reported to have urged Hamas not to close the door on negotiations and to continue working with mediators in Qatar and Egypt, but acknowledged that the issue is “in the hands of the Hamas leadership.”

This isn’t because they want a deal, but to actually make Israel look bad:

Hezbollah’s advice stemmed in part from the assessment that Hamas would stand to benefit from reacting positively to the plan so long as Israel, and in particular Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seems unenthusiastic, the report adds.

For his part the PM continues to say that they never agreed to what was put on the table and that their goals remain the same:

While the ceasefire proposal was put forward by Jerusalem, Netanyahu has insisted that there were gaps between Biden’s presentation of the offer and Israel’s stance, which insists that there will be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until all the goals of the war are met.

To be certain, they are disagreements over how the war is being fought with all sides pointing fingers at the other. Both sides want to look like war hawks but still look compassionate and level headed. Hamas and Hezbollah just want to stall for time to let Hamas survive. This song and dance is going to end sooner than later.

And About Iran’s Nuclear Ambition

Lost in all this back and forth over the war against terrorism is that Iran is still pushing forward with its goal to have nuclear weapons as we read in an article from the Jewish News Syndicate:

France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday condemned Iran’s latest steps to expand its nuclear program.

“Iran has taken further steps in hollowing out the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), by operating dozens of additional advanced centrifuges at the Natanz enrichment site as well as announcing it will install thousands more centrifuges at both its Fordow and Natanz sites,” they said in a statement, an English version of which was posted on the U.K.’s government website.

The steps taken by Iran will increase both its uranium stockpile and enrichment capacity, which already well exceed the JCPOA’s limits, the three western powers said.

The JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran and several world powers. It limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

In what amounts to just a lot of talk, the group is concerned:

Iran’s decision “carries significant proliferation risks,” they said, noting that Tehran’s move to increase production capacity at its underground Fordow facility is “especially concerning.”

Their statement follows one on Friday by the Group of Seven leaders (G7) warning Iran against advancing its nuclear enrichment program.

Urging Iran to stop sounds good, but it really won’t stop them:

“We urge Tehran to cease and reverse nuclear escalations, and stop the continuing uranium enrichment activities that have no credible civilian justifications,” the statement read, according to Reuters.

Russia and Iran’s closeness also concerns them:

The G7 also said it was prepared to enforce new measures if Tehran transferred ballistic missiles to Russia.

Iran responded with a lot of meaningless charges from a nation that prides itself on snookering the world:

In reponse to the G7 statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani on Sunday called on the group to step back from its “destructive policies of the past.”

“Any attempt to link the war in Ukraine to the bilateral cooperation between Iran and Russia is an act with only biased political goals,” said Kanaani.

We know that in Bible prophecy Israel will one day strike the area called Elam which is now part of modern day Iran (see Jeremiah 49). And it is also exactly where Iran’s nuclear plants are located. That’s not a coincidence. Prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem as it’s getting closer and closer to having to deal with all these war fronts sooner than later.