GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 341

All Eyes On Hamas

Hamas Shows Up

According to a report from The Jerusalem Post Hamas will be in Qatar and some think it will result in a deal:

Hamas's negotiating delegation claimed that the terror group is ready to implement a ceasefire agreement based on President Biden's original plan laid out in July but rejects any new conditions, according to their Telegram on Wednesday night.

The terrorist organization explained what they would agree to this time:

Hamas said they were "ready immediately to implement the ceasefire agreement based on President Biden's previous announcement and Security Council Resolution No. 2735 and what was previously agreed upon, especially the agreements of July 2, without setting any new demands, and its rejection of any new conditions on this agreement by any party."

So they want to talk about a ceasefire although that is supposed to be done during the first phase of the deal on the table while talking about the exchange of prisoners which is already mentioned specifically:

However, Hamas said it welcomed continuing negotiations in an effort to reach a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners.

If you listen to them is sounds like they want to change things without changing them. Here is who came:

The delegation (which)was headed by Qatar's Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman al-Thani, and the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamal, met with the Hamas negotiation team on Wednesday evening in Doha. The meeting was headed by the deputy head of the political bureau, Khalil al-Hiya.

The amount of prisoners and who they will be exchanged for is the holdup:

The purpose of the meeting was to try to break the deadlock in talks about the hostage deal and the ceasefire in Gaza, according to three sources who commented on the meeting details.

The meeting was intended to try to get Hamas to give up its new demands regarding the release of additional Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel, the sources said.

The US is having a hard time with the new demands on prisoner exchange from Hamas:

Senior American officials said that these new demands from Hamas are the main obstacle in the current negotiations.

Israel doesn’t see an agreement anytime soon no matter how optimistic some people are all the mediators are working on an updated deal to roll out:

A senior Israeli official said the negotiations are at a complete impasse and estimated that even the meeting in Doha would not lead to a breakthrough.

The US, Egypt, and Qatar are still working on a new and updated mediation proposal to present to Israel and Hamas.

The US Is Doubtful

The US sees the new Hamas prisoner demands a major hurdle to jump:

During the last two weeks, according to senior American officials, the White House has become very skeptical about the possibility of reaching a deal in the immediate time frame due to the new demands of Hamas.

They also don’t see either side budging on their stances:

The White House is re-examining its strategy for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, and President Biden's top aides are debating whether there is any point in presenting a new proposal, as Hamas and Israel have further hardened their positions in the negotiations.

Updated proposals

American negotiators think a new proposal is needed:

The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and the head of the CIA, Will Burns, said that the US may present a new and updated proposal in the coming days. Still, senior White House officials say such a move is not expected in the coming days.

They are telling Hamas their recent ultimatums are too much:

Biden's advisers spoke with senior officials in Qatar and Egypt several times this week. They made it clear to them that Hamas's demand to release more prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons is excessive, according to senior American officials.

Senior Israeli and American officials say that Hamas is demanding the release of 100 more prisoners in addition to the 150 prisoners that the parties have already agreed on. American officials say that this new demand is the reason for the stagnation in the talks.

The US wants Egypt and Qatar to put compel Hamas to relent:

The sources added that the US asked Egypt and Qatar to increase the pressure on Hamas to withdraw from its new demands.

With all of these moving parts, the US still thinks a deal can be reached:

White House spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that the US, Egypt, and Qatar were still trying to reach a proposal that both Israel and Hamas could agree on.

"What is not clear to us is whether we will succeed in reaching this and whether Hamas will agree to come to the negotiating table honestly and sign something," said Kirby.

You heard it from me first: nothing will happen. Hamas is desperate to live and need to stall and hope that Israel will release more high level prisoners to replace all the ones their losing daily. And yes, things are getting dire for Hamas.

Dreary Times For Hamas

As we read in an article found on the Times Of Israel that the IDF found a document that top Hamas leaders sent to their leader of how devastated they are now:

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reveals a document he says was written by the former commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, Rafa’a Salameh, and addressed to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Muhammad, in which the commander describes the “difficult situation” the terror group is in.

This excerpt shows us just how wounded they are:

“Please consider the following: We maintain the remaining weapons and equipment, as we have lost 90-95% of our rocket capabilities; and we have lost some 60% of our personal weapons; we have lost at least 65-70% of our anti-tank launchers and rockets, and most importantly that we have lost at least 50% of our fighters between those who are martyred and wounded, and now we are left with 25%. The last 25% of our people have reached a situation where the people do not tolerate them anymore, broken on a mental or physical level,” the document says, according to excerpts provided and translated by the Defense Ministry.

The Israel Defense Minister tells us that they are really hurting:

Gallant says the document shows “a real hardship that affects Hamas and affects the most senior commanders.”

He says Salameh, who was killed in an IDF strike in July, “cries out for the help of the Sinwar brothers, but of course they cannot save him.”

“Why? Because we are continuing the effort that started in October and continues step by step… and reaches all senior Hamas officials. He wrote this to the Sinwar brothers, we will get to them as well,” Gallant says.

As they said at the start of the war, all of Hamas are dead men walking. And fewer and fewer of them are walking. Two are still alive:

Yahya Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and was recently appointed as the head of the terror group following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. His brother Muhammad is a senior commander in Hamas’s military wing.

Granted this is an older document since some mentioned in it have been killed. This actually proves the point the authors were making. Gallant feels that Hamas is on life support and wants to turn the army to the north. The PM still thinks the IDF needs to get to Sinwar and cut off the head of Hamas before an all out offensive in the north begins. I think Netanyahu is correct, but Hezbollah might force his hand to actually move faster in both arenas. In any event, continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.