The situation is ugly and infuriating and confused. But even as I lack clarity – because clarity is very elusive, I feel called to write.
Yesterday, Monday, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the military wing of Hamas (you see a typical picture of him below), announced that the release of three additional hostages scheduled for this coming Saturday was frozen. This, he declared, was because of Israeli “violations” of the agreement and “lack of commitment.”
Allegedly, Israel did not permit the return of displaced Gazans to the north (following the withdrawal of the IDF from the Netzarim Corridor dividing north and south Gaza) and “did not allow supplies in.”
Further release of hostages would only take place, he said, after Israel remedied the “ongoing violations” and provided compensation retroactively.
“Compensation” they want? I write occasionally about unmitigated gall, but this insolence probably exceeds anything I’ve written about previously.
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Needless to say, the statement generated enormous anger, with Israel denying that there had been any failure to honor the terms of the deal: “The one who committed the violations is the terrorist organization. Members of the delegation who returned this morning from Qatar claimed that Hamas’ conduct endangers the continuation of the deal.”
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz declared: ”Hamas’s announcement of the cessation of the release of Israeli hostages is a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement. I have ordered the IDF to prepare at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and for the defense of the communities near Gaza. We will not allow a return to the reality of the 7th of October.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403715
It is useful to consider the information below as Hamas accuses Israel of “not allowing supplies in”:
Since the beginning of the ceasefire, with an IDF pullback from parts of Gaza, Hamas is controlling the roads. At the same time, as part of the ceasefire deal, a higher number of trucks with humanitarian supplies is coming in daily. We are talking about 600 trucks per day, including 50 with fuel.
“According to Kan 11 News, under the cover of the ceasefire and the withdrawal of IDF forces, Hamas has established checkpoints at multiple locations along the main roads in the Gaza Strip, where it collects highway fees from truck drivers.”
Also on Monday, Khaled al-Qa’id, one of the Hamas leaders remaining in the Gaza Strip, said that “the October 7 attack was only a prelude to the liberation of all of the Land of Israel from the Jews.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403712
The tone is one of ugly defiance and must be taken seriously.
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Along with the anger felt in the country there was a very predictable state of panic on the part of families of those still being held hostage: a fear that the deal would collapse and all hope of getting their loved ones would vanish.
Their behavior was regrettable, whatever their angst. They were out on the street blocking traffic, saying that abandoning the hostages is a war crime. Come on! As if Netanyahu abandoned them rather than that Hamas is refusing to return them. These anguished family members allow themselves to be useful idiots – the tools of a far-left anti-Netanyahu contingent. The demonstrators insisted that Netanyahu – who has made it very clear that Israel will adhere to the terms of the deal – must send a delegation to Doha now to negotiate a final ceasefire that will bring all hostages home.
It is clear that they are not concerned about the repercussions to the country (which would be very considerable), but there is something else they fail to comprehend: The more they demonstrate against the government, the more they give a sense of empowerment to Hamas, which will then be less prepared to release hostages and instead make demands.
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There has been a good deal of analysis about why Hamas is behaving as it is. The major thrust of many of the analyses has to do with the sense Hamas has that it is losing power, and that a second stage might not be realized. What is more, they have already released their most “valuable” hostages – women soldiers – for whom they demanded release of the most heinous (“valuable”) terrorists; for Hamas it’s downhill from here, especially as some of the hostages to be released are no longer alive.
Their current behavior then may be an attempt to seize control of the situation, in the hopes of wresting further concessions from Israel while that is still possible.
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Not long after Hamas issued its threat, President Trump responded:
“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m. I would say cancel the ceasefire. Let all hell break loose.“
That was a Wow! for us here in Israel. But it must be understood that in no way was Trump saying that America would have a part in this. He qualified his statement: “This is my opinion…Israel can override it.”
https://worldisraelnews.com/trump-issues-ultimatum-to-hamas-with-deadline-to-release-all-hostages/
What this did tell us is that the US would not pressure us to continue the deal if we determined it had to be terminated. This was important and represented a change from the position represented by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, when he pressured Netanyahu into taking the deal in the first place. Yes, I thought about this.
However, Netanyahu returned from his visit with the president and Congressional leaders and told the Cabinet on Sunday that agreements were reached that “can ensure the security of Israel for generations. I am not exaggerating,” he said, explaining that there were possibilities “we never dreamed of, or at least a few months ago they did not seem possible—but they are possible…
“We agreed that all of the objectives that we set for the war must be completed: The elimination of Hamas, the return of all of our hostages, ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel, returning all of the residents in both north and south and, of course, preventing Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.”
https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-to-cabinet-dc-visit-marks-historic-turning-point/
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If Trump’s statement represents a rethinking of his position on Israel and Hamas following his meeting with Netanyahu, then we have a good deal to celebrate. (I will return to Trump and his complex position on Gaza in a coming posting.)
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This morning (Tuesday), another spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, responded to Trump’s statement: “The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters.”
https://worldisraelnews.com/hamas-responds-to-trumps-ultimatum/
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A Security Cabinet meeting had been scheduled for Tuesday late in the day, to discuss the question of whether to proceed to the next stage of the deal. But in light of all that had transpired, Netanyahu moved the time to 11 a.m. this morning.
During the course of the day, many of us awaited comments from Netanyahu on decisions reached by the Cabinet. This evening, our prime minister made his statement (emphasis added):
“In light of Hamas’ announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not to release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF to build up forces within and around the Gaza Strip. This action is now being carried out. It will be completed in the very near future.
“The decision that I passed unanimously in the Cabinet is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday afternoon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to powerful fighting until Hamas is completely defeated.”
From the Office of the Prime Minister came the official announcement of the cessation of negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire deal with the Hamas. A diplomatic source explained that “there would be no progress on continuing to implement the deal and on negotiations for the second stage without the return of our hostages.
“The Cabinet expects the release of all nine hostages from the first stage, within a few days.” That clarification is important: we no longer expect the return just of the three originally scheduled for release on Saturday.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403764
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I am enormously grateful for this position of strength. Anything less – any suggestion of “conciliation” –would have been a regrettable show of weakness. In the face of evil there can be no show of weakness.
It is still almost four days from when I write until Saturday afternoon, and it is difficult to predict what will transpire.
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I ask for prayers for Israel’s wellbeing – for the wisdom and strength of our leaders and the safety of all Am Yisrael.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
