TEL AVIV — After the video of 24-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin yesterday Hamas released a new one with two other Israeli hostages: 64-year-old Keith Siegel, dual Israeli and American citizen; and 46-year-old Omri Miran, whose father we interviewed in Rome when he was welcomed by the Pope two weeks ago. It is the new strategy of the militiamen: to use the kidnapped Israelis as “testimonials” of the negotiation to force the government not to attack Rafah, raising the stakes of a possible agreement.
Hamas thus responds to the government’s strategy Netanyahu, which threatens a devastating attack on Rafah in defiance of every appeal to avert the humanitarian catastrophe. If Israel really attacked with tanks the city on the border with Egypt, the last remaining stronghold of Hamas in the Strip, it would be carnage and would risk killing the hostages; but it would also be a mortal blow to the militiamen and their leaders barricaded there, probably included Yahya Sinwar.
(reuters)
It is a poker game on the lives of hostages and civilians that is being played at the moment. Hamas does this by attempting to manipulate Israeli public opinion through the relatives of the hostages, so that they pressure the government into accepting a low-cost deal that saves all the prisoners left alive. The demonstrations, like yesterday at the headquarters of the armed forces in Tel Aviv, are widespread. They are calling for new elections, they are demanding an agreement be reached immediately.
Israel has a choice to make: either Rafah or Riyadh by Thomas Friedman 28 April 2024
The government is under pressure, but does not give up playing its cards: it remembers that this is “the last chance for an agreement”, and thus warns the militiamen that they are not safe holed up in Rafah. Using Palestinian civilians as a shield will not save them, because Israel – this is the explicit message – will not even listen to the appeals made by allies, such as the USA and the entire G7. That “everything is ready for the attack, all that is missing is the political green light” pronounced in recent days by the leaders of the armed forces is the sword of Damocles that Netanyahu and the far right in his government point to the heads of the leaders of Hamas, because accept a deal on their terms.
The Egyptian draft based on the 33 hostages who would be released – that is, women, the elderly and the sick – has reached the hands of Hamas: “We are discussing it”, its leaders said. Hamas reportedly reduced the demands to 50 Palestinian prisoners released for every soldier hostage, and 30 for every civilian. But the points of contention are the areas over which Israel wants to continue to have control in the Strip, as well as the duration of the ceasefire and the guarantees on what will happen next.
(reuters)
Majed Al-Ansariadvisor to the Prime Minister of Qatar, said in an interview that «every time we got closer to an agreement, that we brought new ideas to the table, sabotage came from both sides in the form of declarations».
A pattern that risks repeating itself: a senior Hamas official has already put his hand forward, warning that there is “little chance” that the draft will be accepted “unless fundamental changes are made” because “it does not give clear answers to the question of withdrawal and the overall ceasefire.”
Preventive skirmishes that go along with the words of the Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to Canale12: «Freeing the hostages is our priority, if there is an agreement we will suspend the operation in Rafah». Will it be enough? From tomorrow the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken he will be in Saudi Arabia, at the World Economic Forum, where he will discuss it with Europeans and countries in the area. The crisis must be averted as a whole. Then he will fly back to Israel, where in the meantime the response from Hamas may have already arrived, expected in the next two days.