The status of the remaining 120 hostages in Gaza is a critical factor in any potential resolution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. A senior Hamas official recently told CNN that "no one has any idea" how many hostages are still alive. For any agreement on their release, Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
In an interview with CNN, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesperson and member of its political bureau, provided insights into the militant group's stance on the stalled ceasefire negotiations. He addressed questions about whether Hamas regrets its attack on Israel given the escalating Palestinian casualties and commented on leaked messages from Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief, believed to be the key decision-maker for any peace deal.
The U.S. sees Hamas as central to the negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Sinwar to end the conflict, stating, "The haggling has to stop," and emphasized that while Sinwar remains safe, the people he claims to represent suffer daily.
Hamdan, speaking from Beirut, criticized the latest Israeli proposal, initially presented by U.S. President Joe Biden, as insufficient to meet Hamas' demands. He stressed that for a ceasefire to be acceptable, Israel must agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza and allow Palestinians to determine their future, including reconstruction and lifting the siege.
Negotiations over the U.S.-backed proposal intensified recently but stalled after Hamas responded with numerous changes to the document. Blinken expressed frustration, noting that some of Hamas' changes went "beyond positions they had previously taken."
The U.S.-endorsed ceasefire plan approved by the United Nations Security Council proposes a phased approach: an initial six-week ceasefire with some hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and a pullout of Israeli troops from populated areas in Gaza, followed by further negotiations for a permanent end to the conflict and a full Israeli withdrawal.
However, Hamdan highlighted Hamas' concerns about the ceasefire's duration, suspecting that Israel has no intention of following through with the second phase of the deal. He insisted that the cessation of hostilities must be permanent and include Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza.
Israel has yet to publicly commit to the deal, despite the White House's repeated assertions that it was an Israeli plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure to support the current plan, has consistently stated that the war will not end until Hamas is eradicated.
Blinken placed the responsibility for stalled negotiations on Hamas, saying, "Hamas has to demonstrate that it too wants this to end."
Hamdan deflected questions about Hamas' responsibility for the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, framing the October 7 attacks as a reaction against Israeli occupation. The attacks, the deadliest in Israel's history, resulted in over 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and around 250 hostages taken into Gaza.
The ensuing Israeli retaliation has caused devastating impacts on Gaza, with more than 37,000 deaths, primarily women and children, and 90% of Gaza's population displaced. Despite this, Hamdan maintained that the responsibility lies with Israel.
Reports of leaked messages from Sinwar, suggesting he deemed the deaths of thousands of Palestinians as "necessary sacrifices," were dismissed by Hamdan as fake. Sinwar, designated as a terrorist by several countries, remains in hiding within Gaza's tunnel network.
Despite Israel's efforts to eliminate Hamas, the group's leadership, including Sinwar, remains elusive. Hamas continues to sporadically fire rockets towards Israel, maintaining its resilience against Israeli military actions.
As negotiations continue, the fate of the hostages remains a pivotal concern. Hamdan admitted to CNN that he had no idea how many hostages were still alive, alleging that an Israeli operation to free four hostages resulted in the deaths of three others, including an American citizen.
The international community remains focused on achieving a resolution, with calls for transparency, accountability, and adherence to legal protocols intensifying amid the ongoing conflict.