What will come first – the return of Israeli hostages or the end of the war in Gaza? – First post

Even as negotiators work to bridge differences between the two sides, Israel and Hamas appear to have grown further apart.

Israel and Hamas have put forward two very different approaches to the peace agreement. While Israel has stated that the war in Gaza will not end until the hostages are released, Hamas has stated that the hostages will not be released until the war is over.

After months of stalemate due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s maximalist demands and Hamas’ hardening stance, negotiations were resumed last month following the assassination of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. Israel hopes that a series of military successes in recent months and sustained military pressure on Hamas will allow a favorable deal to be struck.

No hostage deal until war ends, says Hamas

The acting head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Wednesday that the hostages would not be released until Israel ends the war on its side.

According to all party proposals, hostages held by Hamas should be released instead of releasing Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Haya stated that such an exchange would not be discussed until after the war.

“Without ending the war there can be no exchange of prisoners… “If the aggression does not stop, then why does the resistance and in particular Hamas return prisoners (hostages)? How could a sane or insane person lose a strong card that belongs to him while the war continues?” Haya said in a television interview, Reuters reported.

Israel wants the hostages to be released first

While Hamas wants to be the first to end the war, Israel has said its offensive will not stop until the hostages are freed.

Throughout the conflict, Israel has maintained that the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas, at least as rulers of Gaza, are the basis of any ceasefire in the ongoing war.

In June, shortly after US President Joe Biden announced a ceasefire proposal approved by Israel, Netanyahu said that regardless of the proposal, there would be no ceasefire until the war’s goals were achieved.

“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: destroying Hamas’ military and administrative capabilities, releasing all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.

US will support ceasefire only after hostages are released

The United States also said the release of the hostages should be the basis of any ceasefire agreement.

On Wednesday, the United States vetoed a call for a ceasefire at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) because the proposal did not include the release of hostages under the terms of the ceasefire.

In a statement after the veto, US Special Policy Envoy Robert Wood said the United States “has made clear throughout the negotiations that we cannot support an unconditional ceasefire that has not resulted in the release of the hostages.”

Wood noted that the UN had previously recognized the need to free the hostages. He said that if the unconditional ceasefire resolution were adopted, Hamas would receive a very encouraging message.

Wood said: “Simply put, this resolution would send a dangerous message to Hamas: there is no need to return to the negotiating table. Hamas would take this as confirmation of its cynical strategy: hope and pray that the international community will forget the fate of more than 100 hostages from more than 20 member states who were held for 410 days. We must not allow this to happen. Always.”

Wood further stated that the proposal does not condemn Hamas. He also said Israel had expressed a willingness to accept a temporary ceasefire in lieu of releasing some of the hostages, but Hamas had not agreed to that.

For its part, Hamas continues to claim that Netanyahu is the reason the ceasefire has not been reached.

“Contacts are underway with some countries and mediators to revive this matter (negotiations). We are ready to continue these efforts, but it is more important to see real will on the part of the occupation side to put an end to the aggression. Reality proves that Netanyahu is the one who is undermining them (the negotiations),” Haya said.