ALBAWABA - According to local reports, Israel has rejected Hamas's demands of full withdrawal from Gaza in addition to a permanent ceasefire, while talks to release the Israeli hostages taken into custody in Gaza face turbulent obstacles.
Mediators' efforts continue to push for the release of approximately 130 Israeli prisoners that Hamas took on October 7. For Hamas to release the hostages, it demands a permanent ceasefire, and complete IDF withdrawal from Gaza, in addition to releasing an estimate of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including those who executed the October 7 attack.
In a press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his utter rejection of Hamas' terms. "I reject outright the terms of surrender of Hamas. If we agree to this, we will not be able to guarantee the security of our citizens".
On the other end, a Hamas official said in an interview that the core of the hostage swap discussion is that all Israeli troops leave Gaza fully, without that happening. With that being said, the group will not be moving forward with any deals.
White House reports confirmed that Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, will travel to Egypt and Qatar this week, to hold meetings with mediators from both countries in efforts to expedite the process towards hopefully reaching a permanent ceasefire.
"I wish I could tell you that there was a deal imminent, that we were right on the cusp of one," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Sunday on MSNBC. "I don’t think that we are right now, but I can tell you we’re working at it every day".
The mediators’ current proposal envisages releasing the hostages in three phases over 30 days, officials said. The first phase would involve the remaining civilian hostages, the second would include female soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and the bodies of hostages who have died in Gaza, and the third would include male hostages, including IDF soldiers. Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange for each group of Israeli hostages, NBC News reported.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
