GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War Day 637

End Hamas Now

All Over The Map

As we’ve been told before, Hamas wants any new ceasefire to lead to a total end to the war with them surviving in Gaza. Apparently the US is putting pressure on Israel to agree to be serious about ending the war once they get all the remaining hostages back as we see in a report from The Times Of Israel:

Efforts to reach a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war appeared to be making progress Thursday amid reports that terror group Hamas could back the proposal, which includes the release of 28 hostages and negotiations on ending the war that has been grinding on since October 2023.

Some details have been leaked, not all of which can be verified:

Various outlets reported similar terms for the deal, which would see 10 living and 18 deceased hostages released in stages over a 60-day ceasefire period, with Hamas said to agree to forgo public hostage release ceremonies and Israel said to agree to hold off on resuming military operations so long as talks on ending the war were ongoing.

The US really wants the deal before Netanyahu comes to DC so the pressure is high:

Israel is believed to be under heavy US pressure to clinch a ceasefire deal ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump next week.

The usual hitching points hinge on the deal ending with the fighting beginning again:

Sources have indicated in recent days that the sides had shown flexibility on all issues but remained stuck on the question of ending the war, with Israel insisting that it be able to resume its offensive against Hamas and the terror group demanding that any deal permanently end the fighting, which began with its onslaught in Israel on October 7, 2023.

Some think a deal is close, though:

“The indications we’re getting are people are ready,” a diplomat briefed on the talks told The Associated Press, claiming that there was now a “big opportunity” to reach an agreement.

One source even had all the hostages released in the deal, even in the first week:

According to The New York Times, the 28 hostages would be released in five groups over the 60-day period; an earlier version of the proposal would have seen them released in the first week of the halt.

And then another source says these are the details of the agreement:

An Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire talks told the AP that the proposal calls for Hamas to release eight living hostages on the first day of the ceasefire and two more on the final day. Israeli reports indicated that the deceased hostages would be returned in three groups in between. Were this process completed, this would leave 22 hostages still held in Gaza, at least 10 of them believed to be alive.

How Generous Of Them

As usual Hamas offers to stop something they did that was wrong to make them look good:

Hamas also agreed to not hold public propaganda ceremonies in which it parades released hostages, the New York Times reported, citing an Israeli and Palestinian source. Hamas staged celebratory events for handovers during a previous truce in January and February, angering Israel and the US and drawing condemnation from the UN human rights chief.

And of course they want more terrorists back on the streets for people they never should have kidnapped in the first place. And demanding more humanitarian aid while they threaten the workers distributing it is brought up:

Reports have indicated that the hostages will be released in return for Israel setting free Palestinian security prisoners it is holding and a boost in humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.

And then Hamas wants Israel to give back areas they currently hold, something I told you would only happen if the US pushes Israel to the breaking point which appears to be happening:

An Israeli official characterized the agreement as a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory.

Hamas demanded and the US may oblige them by not allowing Israel to get the hostages back and continue to decimate them:

The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks on ending the war, but Israel is not committing to ending the war as part of this proposal, said the official on condition of anonymity.

Another news source supports that guarantee is on the table and that Hamas likes it which should cause us to pause right there:

According to Saudi news outlet Asharq al-Awsat, the proposal contains assurances from the mediators that both sides will not resume fighting as long as negotiations to end the war are ongoing. The report, citing a source with knowledge of the developments, said Hamas was satisfied with the guarantees included in the ceasefire proposal.

Hamas is said to deliberate on the offer and return a response in 48 hours:

The group was expected to deliver its response to the proposed framework on Friday, Asharq reported. The Egyptian official said Hamas will have to review the proposal with other factions before submitting an official response.

When Trump came down hard on Israel for fighting right up to the deadline with the Iran/Israel ceasefire, Hamas saw that as a good sign that a US guarantee for permanent ceasefire talks will happen. They also feel good about the fighting to end with them surviving if the US push for that. The report gives us more details so I encourage you to read all at some point, but I want to emphasize that this is a very bad deal for Israel. Extremely bad. I like Trump, but his push for peace is blinding him to what these things mean to a people who have been threatened with their very existence since May 14th, 1948. Never again means exactly that and if Trump is listening to people who aren’t factoring that in then I suggest he get them out of his ear. Peace through strength was his mantra as he attacked Iran and it needs to be the mantra now when dealing with Hamas. Let Israel end the war their way and then bring Hamas back to the table. Tell them that unless they release the hostages unconditionally there will be no deal. Period. To borrow from Susan Powter, stop the insanity! Praying for the peace of Jerusalem starts with ending Hamas.