An Israeli source close to the negotiations said that Hamas has reduced the number of hostages it wishes to release during the first phase of the proposed ceasefire agreement by more than half.
In its latest counterproposal, Hamas offered to release fewer than 20 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, which would mean halving the 40 hostages that had been the basis of negotiations for several months – a major step backwards in the talks.
A senior Biden administration official confirmed that Hamas is focusing on these twenty in the first phase of the potential deal. The official also confirmed that Hamas told the mediators that it only had about 20 hostages remaining who were women or sick, wounded, and the elderly.
The source said that Hamas also called for the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a smaller number of hostages, as well as a larger number of prisoners serving life sentences.
The Israeli source said that the latest anti-Hamas proposal indicates that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, does not want to reach an agreement, and seeks to exploit the fissures between the United States and Israel over Israeli military operations in Gaza and internal pressure on the Israeli government.
Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim said that the movement proposed “releasing (three) Israeli prisoners every week,” but said: “No one is talking about the final numbers.”
Beyond the proportion of Palestinian prisoners, Hamas continues to demand guarantees regarding a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and allowing Palestinians to return unrestricted to northern Gaza.
I think part of this is that Hamas thinks it is winning. “Because their definition of success is survival, and they have been able to survive so far,” the Biden official said. “The longer the conflict lasts, the more stubborn Hamas becomes, not the other way around.”
