Hamas may give up on crucial demands for hostage release – NYT

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The New York Times on Thursday reported that Hamas may be willing to drop crucial demands for a hostage-ceasefire agreement.

According to the Times, Palestinian and US leadership said they believed that Hamas might allow the IDF to occupy the Philadelphi corridor temporarily, something that was a key demand of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but was considered by Hamas to be a non-starter.

In the last few months, Hamas has rejected any hostage release proposal that doesn’t include Israel agreeing to an immediate and permanent withdrawal of military forces from Gaza.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the group “appreciates” Lebanon’s right to reach an agreement that protects its people and expressed hope for a deal that would end the war in Gaza.

“Hamas appreciates the right of Lebanon and Hezbollah to reach an agreement that protects the people of Lebanon, and we hope that this agreement will pave the way to reaching an agreement that ends the war of genocide against our people in Gaza,” Abu Zuhri stated.

Following the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, US special envoy Amos Hochstein said, “The Lebanese deal here opens an opportunity on the hostage deal,” he said. “They [Hamas] wake up this morning at 4 am with Hezbollah, that used to be actively supportive of Hamas in the northern front, cutting a deal and ending that conflict.”

In addition to the ceasefire in Lebanon, the death of Sinwar and uncertainty over the future of Hamas’s leadership have created a widespread perception that Hamas may be more amenable to a hostage and ceasefire deal.

The Times also cited the role of Iran and indicated that since much of the Islamic Republic’s air defense systems were damaged by Israeli airstrikes, they may be unwilling to confront Israel.

The victory of President-elect Donald Trump was cited as another factor in Iran’s reluctance to attack Israel, and it may be more likely to rein in its proxies, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

There are also reports that after a year of war, Hamas has lost its grip on Gaza and that increasing numbers of Gazan civilians are turning on the terror group.