The “bridging proposal” put forward by the Biden administration to try to get a ceasefire deal was fraught with problems, not the least of which is that it did not clearly achieve Israel’s objectives of making sure Hamas didn’t rearm and reestablish itself in northern Gaza.
But it may all be moot, because Hamas has officially rejected Biden’s attempt at compromise. Via Times of Israel:
Hamas puts out an official statement rejecting the latest hostage proposal discussed in Doha over the weekend, and blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for putting up new obstacles in the talks.The terrorist group says that Netanyahu “sets new conditions and demands” to thwart talks and prolong the war in Gaza.The statement says that the latest US-backed proposal is aligned with Israel’s demands, pointing at the insistence that the IDF remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, the Rafah Crossing, and the Netzarim Corridor. The group also blames Netanyahu for introducing new conditions around the release of security prisoners.“We hold Netanyahu fully responsible for thwarting the mediators’ efforts and obstructing an agreement,” Hamas says, adding that the prime minister is responsible for the lives of the hostages held by Hamas.
Earlier, responding to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by Biden’s administration, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday declared that Israel was “engaging in negotiations, not concessions.”
The Israeli prime minister made the statement amid media reports that the Biden-Harris administration could pressure the country to make serious security concessions to the terrorist group Hamas in return for the hostages. “The principles we have established are essential for Israel’s security,” Netanyahu added.
“The ceasefire deal sees Hamas seeking control over Gaza’s Netzarim and Philadelphi Corridors,” the Jerusalem Post revealed Sunday. “Israel worries about Hamas regaining power in Gaza if IDF presence is reduced,” the newspaper noted.
The Israeli news outlet YNET reported prime minister’s remarks:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Sunday on ongoing negotiations for a hostage deal and a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, saying at the opening of the weekly Cabinet meeting that “we are engaging in negotiations, not concessions. The principles we have established are essential for Israel’s security.”Netanyahu emphasized that “Israel is prepared for any threat—both defensively and offensively. We are determined to defend ourselves and to exact a very heavy price from any enemy who dares to attack us, from any front.”He added, “There are matters on which we can be flexible, and there are those on which we cannot—and we are steadfast on these. We know well how to distinguish between the two.”
Under the ceasefire proposal made by the Biden administration on Friday, Israel may have to release significant number of convicted Hamas terrorists in return for hostages in captivity since October 7, Arab and Israeli media reported Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) might be forced to have a ‘reduced presence’ at the 9-mile-long Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, a key route for smuggling weapons and moving terrorists in and out of the Hamas-held enclave.
The U.S. proposal could also restrict IDF’s ability to stop Hamas terror fighters from returning back to northern Gaza, the Times of Israel reported Sunday:
The US “bridging proposal” designed to enable the finalizing of a hostages-for-ceasefire deal in the coming week does not provide for an ongoing Israeli presence along the Gaza-Egypt border or for a mechanism in central Gaza to prevent the return of armed Hamas forces to the Strip’s north, as demanded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hebrew media reported Saturday, citing unnamed officials familiar with the talks.
With Hamas hoping to gain though negotiations what it lost militarily in past ten months, the IDF continued eliminating jihadist fighting force and destroying terrorist infrastructure, particularly in the southern Hamas stronghold of Khan Yunis and Dir El-Balah in central Gaza.
“IDF troops are continuing operational activity and are eliminating armed terrorists throughout the Gaza Strip,” the Israel military said in a press statement Sunday.
“Over the past day, the troops eliminated terrorists and located a large amount of weapons, including grenades, Kalashnikovs, and explosives,” the military disclosed. “IDF troops continue precise, intelligence-based operational activity in Rafah below and above ground. Over the past day, the troops eliminated approximately 20 terrorists.”
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) hit further Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as Iran-backed terrorist group intensified rocket fire towards Israel.
“Earlier today, the IAF struck a Hezbollah terrorist cell and weapons facility in the area of Chebaa in southern Lebanon,” the IDF disclosed Sunday. “The IAF also struck an additional Hezbollah weapons storage facility in Ayta ash Shab and a military structure in the area of Matmoura in southern Lebanon.”
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