Only One More

We should and are happy that Hamas is going to release a hostage as we see in a report from The Jerusalem Post but Israel has concerns about it:

There is concern in Israel that the US may close a deal for the release of one or two hostages and, in return, pressure Israel on humanitarian issues, two Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

Israel wants more than a few hostages for humanitarian aid:

Israel insists that as part of any ceasefire deal lasting several weeks and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, at least 10 hostages must be released.

And Hamas wants a full end to the war which Israel will never agree to doing:

Israeli officials told the Post that there is currently no indication that Hamas is backing down from its demand for a complete end to the war. Nevertheless, behind the scenes, US envoy Steve Witkoff is engaging in dialogue with Qatar and Egypt, the key mediators in the negotiations, according to a source familiar with the details.

At least strong pressure is being put on Hamas instead of Israel this time:

The source added that both mediators are applying intense pressure on Hamas.

The problem is that this is classic Hamas negotiating. They dangle one hostage in the hopes they will get more time to regroup and reload. The last thing they want is a full ground offensive which is slated to happen in five days:

Israeli officials estimate that Hamas may try to initiate some progress on a hostage deal to prevent Israel from launching the large-scale ground maneuver it is planning in Gaza.

Offering one hostage was expected:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday that he “does not rule out the possibility” that Hamas may release Israeli-American citizen Edan Alexander, who is currently being held hostage by the group.

Netanyahu also said at the committee meeting, “I don’t rule out that Hamas will release Edan as a gesture to the Americans,” Army Radio reported.

Using Aid As A Weapon

Hamas also knows that if nothing changes, the humanitarian aid will be out of their control so they are putting it front and center in the talks:

Hamas is in talks with the US administration regarding a Gaza ceasefire and entry of humanitarian aid, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Sunday.

A senior Hamas official told Qatar’s Al Jazeera that “direct and advanced negotiations have been taking place between Hamas and the US in recent days regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.” The negotiations are also exploring the possibility of allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and ending the war.

Negotiating directly with the US is also a ploy since they sense a weakness over it. And they are using the only American-Israeli hostage as leverage:

This follows earlier reports from March that US President Donald Trump’s envoy for the hostages, Adam Boehler, said that US meetings with Hamas on the release of hostages were very helpful.

The meetings in March between Boehler and Hamas largely focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national held by Hamas in Gaza.

Boehler we must remember got in trouble for negotiating on his own, however that kerfuffle seems to have blown over:

Additional reports surfaced in early March that Boehler had been removed from involvement in the negotiations for the release of American hostages held by Hamas.

Boehler, with the president’s approval, held direct talks with Hamas, as the group has been designated as a terror organization by the US since 1997.

Taher al-Nono, political adviser to Hamas, confirmed in March the unprecedented, direct talks with Washington, saying that the discussions took place in Qatar.

But now all eyes are on humanitarian aid that will run out soon:

Earlier in May, the Post reported that Israel is due to restore humanitarian aid to Gaza within weeks, whether it reaches a new hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas or not.

In early March, a variety of top governmental figures had said that Israel would permanently block the flow of new humanitarian aid to Gaza unless Hamas agreed to additional hostage exchanges.

However, Israel is now concerned that the extra food aid Gaza received prior to early March, which it has been using for sustenance since, will run out within weeks.

As for me I would run out the clock on any deal Hamas wants and if the US gets their guy back that’s between the US and Hamas. I wouldn’t let it affect any other negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Will there be a last minute deal? It’s possible, but it won’t be over a few hostages if Israel has any say in the matter. Pray that Netanyahu and his government stay strong now. They have Hamas right where they want them.