No Deal Yet

We see in a report from the Jewish News Syndicate that Hamas is saying no to the current deal being offered for a ceasefire and release of half of the remaining living hostages:

Hamas has rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal that would have required it to disarm, according to a report on Tuesday.

As we read about the details of the proposal it’s easy to see why they rejected it:

“The Israeli proposal relayed to the movement through Egypt explicitly called for the disarmament of Hamas without any Israeli commitment to end the war or withdraw from Gaza. Hamas therefore rejected the offer in its entirety,” a senior Palestinian official told the BBC.

The proposal also called for a six-week ceasefire which would have included restarting the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, halted by Israel in early March, according to the report.

In return, Hamas was to have released half the remaining live captives in the first week of the ceasefire. Fifty-nine hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.

Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to echoing what US President Trump wants since the two just met:

Israel’s proposal was submitted days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the BBC.

Hamas apparently is getting very good at saying no:

Hamas at the beginning of April rejected another truce offer, proposing a 50-day halt in hostilities and a step-by-step process for exchanging Israeli hostages and Palestinian security prisoners.

Under the terms of that proposal, Hamas was to have released five Israeli hostages, including American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, in several phases. In return, Israel was to have freed some 250 imprisoned Arab terrorists along with 2,000 terrorist suspects detained following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Hamas is still using humanitarian aid as a way to stay in charge:

The initiative also included a pause in Israeli military actions and the reopening of border crossings to allow for the entry of aid.

There could be a hitch in any deal due to Hamas saying they aren’t able to talk to those holding Alexander:

The spokesman for Hamas’s military wing told the BBC on Tuesday that the terrorist group had “lost contact” with Alexander’s captors after what he described as “a direct strike on their location.”

Israel is trying to establish a way to provide aid without Hamas which would take that advantage away from the terrorists who are stockpiling it for themselves and then selling it to Gazans. But the one thing that will always hold up any deal is Hamas surviving, something Israel will not abide.

And About Those Nukes

The talks concerning Iran and their nuclear program have hit yet another snag as we see in an article from The Times Of Israel:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Iran’s uranium enrichment as part of its nuclear program was “non-negotiable,” after US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said the processing program must be dismantled as part of any deal between the sides.

He detailed his logic this way:

“Iran’s enrichment is a real, accepted matter. We are ready to build confidence in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is non-negotiable,” Araghchi told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Witkoff was firm about the US stance as well:

Witkoff’s comments Tuesday were themselves a reversal of those he made a day earlier, contrary to Israel’s position, that Washington would be satisfied with a cap on Iranian nuclear enrichment and would not require the dismantling of its nuclear facilities.

On Tuesday, Witkoff said Iran must “stop and eliminate” its enrichment of uranium as part of any nuclear deal.

He then added that no other deal other than one between the US and Iran:

“A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal,” Witkoff said in a statement from his office’s official X account. “Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”

He then gave us very specific details on the topic of enrichment:

Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Witkoff had said Iran “does not need to enrich past 3.67 percent.”

“In some circumstances, they’re at 60%, in other circumstances, 20%. That cannot be,” he said. “You do not need to run — as they claim — a civil nuclear program where you’re enriching past 3.67%.”

So enrichment appears to be the sticking point now:

His statement on Tuesday appeared to reject any uranium enrichment.

The Iranians are standing pat and refuting they are wanting weapons, something that their actions refute:

Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity, which has no application beyond nuclear weapons, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.

According to various other sources, the topic of uranium enrichment is now off the table which basically means no deal can be made. In short Hamas and Iran are rejecting all offers now. Military actions appear to be the only option left for both of them.