GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War Day 658

A Waste Of Time

US, Israel Leave Talks

We read from a report in The Jerusalem Post that the negotiations in Doha are not going well:

Following a pivotal meeting overnight with international mediators who had come from talks with Hamas representatives, the Israeli delegation returned to Israel early Thursday morning for consultations after over two weeks of high-stakes negotiations in Doha.

The fact that they are leaving tells you all you need about why the talks are stalled:

The Israeli negotiating team will leave Qatar to continue consultations on the ceasefire proposal in Israel, in light of Hamas's response on Thursday morning, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The US delegation tells us what is really happening:

US special envoy Steve Witkoff later added: “We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Witkoff is being well, diplomatic about the state of affairs with Hamas:

"While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.

"It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza,” Witkoff concluded.

Listen to what he just said. Hamas is not coordinated or not acting in good faith. I vote for the latter not the former on that although the leaders actually in Gaza are probably pushing the limits of the demands. And then Witkoff used a term used by others and that is Hamas is selfish in what it wants. Add it all up and you have the recipe for being nowhere close to closing the gaps in what they want and what Israel is putting on the table. And it’s major gaps no matter how people spin the situation. One Israeli official added this:

“We studied Hamas’s reply in depth,” the official said. “The delegation held internal consultations and spoke directly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was decided that the delegation should return to Israel to assess how best to narrow the gaps.”

Israel wants the hostages back as we would expect and they held out hope that they could get at least half of them back:

The official added that the Israeli government remains focused on the return of the hostages held by Hamas since October 7.

“Israel entered these negotiations with the assumption that Hamas was interested in a deal,” the official added.

The official added that they actually think the gaps can be bridged, a sentiment I don’t share:

“Our representatives were never naïve – they were realistic. There is a genuine effort underway, and we believe the gaps can still be closed.”

The Demands

Hamas, though wants to survive and want a lot for those hostages:

In the response Hamas delivered to Israel, the group reasserted its demand for an explicit guarantee that the war will not resume even if no agreement is reached after the proposed 60-day ceasefire period, according to two sources familiar with the details.

Hamas desperately wants the US to enforce an end to the fighting even before all the hostages are returned. US President Trump isn’t offering that:

“Trump had said that if negotiations on ending the war take place, they would continue beyond the 60 days,” an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post, “but now Hamas is demanding a formal guarantee that the war will, in effect, come to a full stop.”

Hamas is also wanting more of their terrorist comrades released for 10 hostages.

In addition, Hamas is demanding the release of 200 prisoners serving life sentences and 2,000 others arrested in Israel after October 7. By contrast, the current Israeli proposal includes the release of 125 prisoners serving extended life sentences and 1,100 additional prisoners.

The price they want Israel to pay is 2,200 terrorists, people who are serving life sentences among the bunch. Hamas basically gets 220 terrorists for every 1 hostage released. Now you know why they take hostages captive. And then there is the issue of humanitarian aid, one I dealt with yesterday in detail:

According to the two sources, Hamas also submitted renewed demands on humanitarian issues, despite those matters having been largely agreed upon. Hamas is now insisting that only the United Nations, and not the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), be responsible for distributing humanitarian aid. The group is also demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing for both humanitarian aid and the entry of civilians.

I’ll make this one easy for you again. If an NGO like the Gaza Humanitarian Fund does it Hamas can steal and resell what is left. Hamas is running out of money. They changed their tune on this one thinking that current false starving Gazan reports will pressure Israel into getting what they want:

Sources involved in the negotiations told the Post that “the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the pressure being placed on Israel over the issue, ultimately gives Hamas less incentive to show flexibility because they know ‘Israel is on the hot seat.’”

Then there’s the demands of the IDF leaving areas of Gaza they fought to control:

Regarding security maps and territorial arrangements, Hamas has agreed to a security perimeter of 800 meters in populated areas of Gaza, and 1,000 meters in unpopulated zones.

They also want a request that would keep Israel from starting the fighting after any ceasefire:

The source said Hamas' response to the latest ceasefire proposal included requesting a clause that would prevent Israel from resuming the war if an agreement was not reached within the 60-day truce period.

And as usual Hamas blames Israel for the failed talks:

A senior Hamas source told Reuters on Thursday that there was still a chance of reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement, but it would take a few days because of what he called Israeli stalling.

What do I think? Hammer them out of existence. Then and only then will the fighting end and the hostages will be rescued. Diplomacy is a waste of time now.