Posted on 05/07/2024 7:39:05 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
Terror group said to tell mediators it doesn’t have 33 living people who meet ‘humanitarian’ criteria of initial phase — after Israel agreed to lower previous demand of 40 people
Hamas has said some of the 33 hostages it would release under the first phase of a prospective hostage deal with Israel would not necessarily be alive.
In an announcement detailing the clauses to which it had agreed Monday in the latest proposal for a deal, the terror group said, “During the first phase, Hamas releases 33 Israeli detainees (alive or corpses).”
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the terror group had explicitly told mediators that some of the 33 hostages it would release under the first phase of the prospective deal would not be alive. The Times said it was not clear whether the terror group had informed interlocutors how many of the 33 would be alive.
A failure to release 33 living hostages would appear to conflict with Israeli demands.
Israel had initially demanded that 40 living hostages of the 132 still in Gaza be released in the first phase of the three-phase plan — all of them in the so-called “humanitarian” category: women, children, elderly and sick people.
According to multiple reports, it then agreed to lower that number to 33 after Hamas said it did not hold enough living individuals in the category.
However, the claim that even the 33 under discussion are not all alive appears to be a new walk-back by the terror group.
On Monday, Hamas said it had accepted Arab mediators’ latest offer for a three-phase deal for a ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners swap. However, Israel said the terms of the deal had been altered and “softened” from those it approved several days ago, and was unacceptable in its latest form.
Hamas officials claimed Monday evening that the deal would yield an end to the war, whereas Israel has said repeatedly that it will not accept an agreement that involves ending the war and that it fully intends to resume its campaign to destroy Hamas once any deal has been carried out.
The United States, which alongside Qatar and Egypt has played a mediation role in the talks, said it was studying the Hamas response and would discuss it with Middle East partners.
The specifics set out by Hamas on Monday differ to some extent from the reported terms of what the US hailed a week ago as an “extremely generous” Israeli offer.
Based on details announced so far by Hamas officials and an official briefed on the talks, the deal that the terrorist group said it had agreed to includes:
A first 42-day phase, in which Hamas releases 33 hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of Palestinian security prisoners and a partial Israeli withdrawal from GazaA second 42-day phase, in which Hamas releases all remaining living hostages in exchange for further prisoner releases and an agreement to put in place a “sustainable calm” in Gaza
A third phase in which all remaining hostage bodies are handed over to Israel, and Gaza’s reconstruction begins, alongside an end to the complete blockade of the Strip
Israel has consistently said it will not accept a deal that entails a permanent ceasefire, and that it will resume its military campaign after any truce-for-hostages deal, in order to complete its two declared war goals: freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas’s military and governance capabilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said that Israel will ensure there can be no future terrorist threat to Israel from Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office said late Monday that the Hamas offer was far from meeting Israel’s essential demands, but that Jerusalem would send negotiators to continue talks with the US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators.
Of course there are no hostages left. ham ass lives only for the purpose of annihilating the Jewish people.
Attack Rafah now! Kill every last ham ass member. Retrieve the hostages' dead bodies. Ensure enough suffering by civilians that they forever teach their grandchildren to NEVER ATTACK THE JEWS AGAIN! THAT WAY LIES SURE DEATH AND DEATRUCTION!
If there are any left alive, their future of nightmares and mental trauma will be off the charts.
If they are not alive, then they are no longer hostages.........They are corpses.........
Lots of them.
The very fact that they hold civilian hostages and cadavers should be reason enough to wipe them out. How can anyone support their actions? Pure evil.
ALL THE HOSTAGES and you die anyway.
Kill them all. (Ref Hamas.) Glass the dang place.
Most of the “hostages” are clearly dead. Those who aren’t probably have been raped and beaten so much they probably wish they were.
Although to the few survivors: life is worth living. Prayers for your healing.
Frankly these Hamas people should be glad I’m not in charge. I’d have glassed the entire dang place months ago. UN and Biden be damned.
I’ll be surprised if there are 10 left alive.
Their mental condition, after 200+ days, will be very sketchy, and likely require intensive care for the rest of their lives.
Yeah, this makes for some really hard feelings when you think about all those collage kids running about screaming “WE’RE HAMAS, WE’RE HAMAS.!!”
Here we go
This is why Hamas was stalling all along ... what a surprise ...
This is like negotiating with the Nazis in 1945, to free the remaining Jews in the death camps.
They're all dead. Or Hamas would have made some sort of ceasefire deal by now.
I bet None are alive.
Nice cease fire.
So the Israeli hostages released might not all be alive?
Guess that means the IDF might not stop all bombing?
This is sick, I can’t believe people are demonstrating for Hamas.
Nothing shocks me anymore.
Why not? We are woke enough so we might as well as be pro-Hamas.
I think they should just start digging the new CANAL from the MED right through Rafah. DIG down with bulldozers about 50’ below sea level. Then let the Med sea water flood the canal.
From the river to the sea.
Assume the hostages are dead and glass the place.
Hamas is a satanic organization.
College Democrat/Hamas protesters are satanic.
Those funding college Hamas protests are satanic.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.