The Wall Street Journal quoted former Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) now feels confident enough to reject any deal that does not directly achieve victory in this war that has been ongoing since the seventh of last October.
This came in an article by the newspaper’s editorial board – published yesterday, Wednesday, under the title “This is why Hamas will not release the hostages” – in which it asked about the changes that have occurred since the truce of late last November, which made the movement reject two offers for calm and an exchange of prisoners, according to the newspaper, in reference to To the position of Hamas, which currently insists on not negotiating until after a complete ceasefire.
Ben Shabat – who was Israel’s national security advisor from 2017 to 2021 – said that Hamas’s confidence may be misguided, but it is not unfounded.
He explained, “While the conditions in which our forces operate have become more difficult than before, things have improved for Hamas fighters.”
The newspaper reported that, under pressure from the administration of US President Joe Biden, Israel has begun using “less firepower” to prepare for its ground incursions into Gaza, and this gives Hamas more opportunities to ensnare Israeli soldiers in ambushes.
A member of Hamas’s political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said in a statement – last Monday – that the movement’s leadership seeks “with all force to stop the aggression and massacres against our people completely and not temporarily. Our people want to stop the aggression, and are not waiting for a temporary truce or a partial truce for a short period, after which the aggression and terrorism will continue.” “.
Al-Rishq reiterated that “there are no negotiations unless there is a comprehensive cessation of aggression.”
This came after Reuters quoted two Egyptian security sources as saying that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movement “rejected an Egyptian proposal to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.”
On the other hand, pressure is increasing on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government from the families of Israeli detainees held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, and it is being widely criticized after the Israeli army killed a number of them.
Israeli Channel 12 reported this week that there is tension at the highest Israeli political and security levels regarding the issue of detainees, and that Netanyahu is preventing Defense Minister Yoav Galant from holding individual discussions on this issue with the head of the Mossad.
Hamas had reached a truce with Israel, mediated by the State of Qatar and in coordination with Egypt and the United States, which lasted for 7 days, starting on November 24, during which 80 Israeli detainees and more than 20 foreigners were released in Gaza in exchange for the release of 240 prisoners. Palestinian children, boys and women.