GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 301

Sinwar Is In The Way

Is There A Deal?

According to a report in The Jerusalem Post Prime Minister Netanyahu there is no deal on the table while the IDF heads and one of the negotiators say there is and the PM should take it:

"Sinwar is the obstacle to the agreement, not the Prime Minister," the Prime Minister's Office said on Friday evening, as it also revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the hostage deal delegation to leave for Cairo as early as Saturday night or Sunday to continue negotiations.

Netanyahu is willing to make a deal:

"The Prime Minister is willing to go a long way to release our precious captives, while maintaining Israel's security and preventing conditions that would allow Hamas to regain control of the Gaza Strip, threaten Israel, and resume the atrocities of October 7," the statement read.

But there’s a little internal confusion on whether there is a deal that the PM and Hamas can agree to:

The statement came following a Friday N12 report that stated that heads of Israel's security organizations pressured Netanyahu into accepting a current version of the deal at a Wednesday meeting, while expressing doubt in the prime minister's interest to even reach a deal.

The report quoted Mossad Chief David Barnea as saying, "There is a deal. If we delay, we may miss the opportunity - we have to take it."

The PMO refutes that statement:

"The report is incorrect. The head of the Mossad did not say there is a ready deal that needs to be accepted," the PMO's statement began.

"The statement that 'Hamas supposedly agreed to the terms of the deal' is false. It is still unclear if Hamas has even backed down from its demand that Israel commit to ending the war, completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and refrain from returning to fighting," the PMO said in regards to the status of the current hostage deal agreement.

"Moreover, no agreement has yet been reached on the number of living hostages to be released, Israel's presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, a mechanism to prevent the entry of terrorists and weapons from the Netzarim route, and other important details," the PMO continued.

Is the PM moving the goal posts on a deal? The PMO denies that, too:

The PMO also addressed claims that Netanyahu was trying to change and make additions to the deal proposal which resulted in delays.

"All the demands that Israel insists on are in accordance with the framework [that US President Joe Biden announced in May.] Contrary to what is claimed, the Prime Minister did not add anything to these demands. It is Hamas that demanded dozens of changes to the framework."

Pressure To Take A Deal

There is however, increasing pressure to take a deal that even Israel’s leadership can’t agree on with the Post article reporting this:

N12's report also claimed that Netanyahu angrily responded to the allegations, saying, "You are scumbags, you don't know how to negotiate. You are putting words in my mouth! Instead of putting pressure on me, put pressure on Sinwar."

The same sources also added that they don’t the PM even wants a deal now:

The report ended with Senior officials in the security system claiming "Netanyahu does not want a deal at this time. He refuses to budge even though we make it clear to him that [Israel's] defense system knows how to deal with the implications of the deal. He gave up on the hostages."

Even Joe Biden seems to think that there’s a deal that Netanyahu needs to take:

This report comes following statements made by US President Joe Biden, where he appeared to blame Netanyahu for the absence of a deal, at Joint Base Andrews base in Maryland, late Thursday night.

“We have the basis for a ceasefire, he [Netanyahu] should move on it, and he should move on it now,” Biden said, referencing the three-phased proposal that he revealed during a special press conference on the Middle East at the end of May.

It’s hard to know who is right and who is wrong here. Obviously everyone agrees that every day the hostages are still in captivity is one more day they are closer to dying. 300+ days is taking it’s toll on even the youngest of them so if a deal is on the table that both sides agree on it should be taken. Lost in all of this is that Hamas’s goal is to survive and releasing all the hostages is not in their favor at all. Their value is only in keeping the IDF from completely obliterating them. No humanitarian reasons exist for these terrorists. And there is no deal that Netanyahu will agree to that assures Hamas will not be taken down. None. Whether there is a deal or not, neither side is in agreement on those points nor will ever be. Sadly, the only way I see for these hostages being freed is when the IDF finds them and does it.

Houthi Rebels Hit

Israel is sending a clear message to Iran and all of its proxies, that they are ready to deal with of them if the time comes as we read in an article from i24news.tv:

The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed striking a port in Yemen controlled by the Houthi jihadists, a day after the Iranian proxy group perpetrated a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv.

The strike was in response to the many attacks by the rebels:

"A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months."

Israel Defense Minister Gallant made it clear that more is coming if need be:

Yoav Gallant, the defense minister, issued a statement saying "The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear. The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required."

"The blood of Israeli citizens has a price," Gallant added. "This has been made clear in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Yemen, and in other places - if they will dare to attack us, the result will be identical."

Also, from another article from i24news.tv the IDF took out military supplies moving from Iraq to Syria which again, sends a message that Israel is not going to play nice anymore:

Blasts attributed to a drone strike were reported late on Friday in Syria, near the country's border with Iraq. It is understood the strike targeted a military compound and a weapons convoy.

This along with at least five other Hamas terrorists being eliminated in the last 10 days from the collapsing of another underground tunnel show us that terrorist’s days are numbered. But lest we think this war is winding down, there are still two ongoing threats from Hezbollah and Iran that haven’t happened yet. If anything, things are heating up. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem now more than ever, because it is truly needed.