By A senior Hamas official has revealed to CNN that there is uncertainty surrounding the fate of the approximately 120 Israeli hostages believed to be in the custody of the militant group or its subgroups in Gaza. In the interview, the official stated that “no one has an idea” of how many of these hostages are still alive, and emphasized that any deal to secure their release must include guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesperson and political bureau member, provided insight into the group’s stance on the stalled ceasefire talks, as well as their perspective on the decision to attack Israel despite the rising Palestinian death toll. Hamdan also commented on the recent leak of messages from Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza and the man believed to be the ultimate decision-maker on any peace deal.
The United States has expressed its belief that Hamas holds the key to the negotiations, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging Sinwar to end the war, stating, “The haggling has to stop. He’s relatively safe underground; the people that he purports to represent, they’re suffering every day.”
Speaking from Beirut, Lebanon, Hamdan indicated that the latest proposal on the table – an Israeli plan first announced by US President Joe Biden last month – did not meet Hamas’ demands for ending the conflict. As part of the Hamas negotiation team on the ground, Hamdan stressed the need for “a clear position from Israel to accept the ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and let the Palestinians to determine their future by themselves, the reconstruction, the (lifting) of the siege … and we are ready to talk about a fair deal about the prisoners exchange.”
Negotiations over the US-backed proposal have intensified recently but appeared to stall on Wednesday after Hamas presented its response to the document, nearly two weeks after receiving it. Blinken expressed frustration over what he described as Hamas’ decision to submit “numerous changes,” some of which went beyond the group’s previous positions.
The US-backed ceasefire plan, approved by the United Nations Security Council on Monday, outlines a phased approach. The first phase involves a six-week ceasefire, during which some hostages would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and the Israeli military would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza. The second phase, a permanent end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, would only be implemented after further negotiations between the two sides.
Hamdan emphasized that the duration of the ceasefire is a key concern for Hamas, as they fear Israel may not follow through with the second phase of the deal. He reiterated that the end of hostilities must be permanent and that Israel must withdraw from Gaza completely.
Despite the White House’s repeated assertion that the ceasefire plan was an Israeli proposal that the government had accepted, Israel has not yet publicly committed to the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the war will continue until Israel eliminates Hamas.
As the conflict persists, the fate of the Israeli hostages remains uncertain, and the prospects for a lasting ceasefire hinge on the ability of the international community to facilitate a compromise between the warring parties that addresses the concerns and demands of both sides.
Credit: CNN
