A senior Egyptian who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity says terror group Hamas has rejected Israel’s proposal for a two-month ceasefire in which Hamas would release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners.
The official says Hamas leaders have also refused to leave Gaza and are demanding that Israel fully withdraw from the territory and allow Palestinians to return to their homes.
Under Israel’s proposal, Yahya Sinwar and other top Hamas leaders in Gaza would be allowed to relocate to other countries.
The official says Egypt and Qatar, which have brokered past agreements between Israel and Hamas, are developing a multi-stage proposal to try to bridge the gaps. The proposal would include ending the war, releasing the hostages and putting forth a vision for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I think that Israel is playing the game exactly the way that Iran wants them to. The unreasonable level of violence against civilians is isolating Israel diplomatically and deeply tainting US reputation for relatively little cost.
Netanyahu is playing this game because his survival depends on it. As soon as war ends, he is kicked out and a bunch of judicial processes fall on him that he has been avoiding with his immunity. He has a vested interest in prolonging the conflict.
Hamas has a vested interest in prolonging the conflict too, because it means that they can be “freedom fighters” and “martyrs” instead of terrorists, and assassins, and means a reasonable amount of people flock to them. It also gives them legitimacy compared to the Palestinian Authority
Hamas and Oct 7 has ~72% approval from the Palestinian public, so I guess the destruction of Gaza is what most everyone wants? Baffling.
As for Bibi, his asymmetrical response is not jeopardizing US relations so much as he’s jeopardizing Biden’s second term. Trump will probably give Israel a blank check and may even want to push the big red missile button himself.
You don’t understand that an imprisoned people would support people fighting their oppressors?