Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that hostage negotiations are nowhere to be seen, despite intense pressure from the Biden administration, as Hamas refuses to drop its demands for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and agree to end the war. He also said that it would not proceed.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued the following statement (translated via the Prime Minister’s Office):
Israel did not receive Hamas’ new offer to release the hostages in Cairo.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel will not bow to Hamas’s delusional demands.
If Hamas’s position changes, negotiations will move forward.
Israeli negotiators returned Tuesday from talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and senior U.S. officials.
The Biden administration has proposed a six-week cessation of fighting during which Hamas would gradually release Israeli hostages and Israel would release at least three Palestinian terrorist prisoners in exchange for about 130 Israeli hostages. I plan to.
In response, Hamas has called for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and end the war. Freeing thousands of Palestinian terrorists, including those responsible for the October 7 terrorist attacks. And that is to promote reconstruction at the expense of Gaza.
Prime Minister Netanyahu countered that the situation was a non-starter. Hamas suffered heavy defeats, reduced to four battalions based in the Egyptian border town of Rafah, and two Israeli hostages were rescued early Monday.
Inside Israel, pressure is mounting on Netanyahu’s government to reach an agreement from the families of the hostages. However, Hamas has already broken previous agreements, including a recent agreement to transfer medical supplies to hostages in Gaza.
update: Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a further statement (translated via the Government Press Office):
This week, we released two hostages in a remarkable military operation. To date, we have released 112 hostages through a combination of strong military pressure and tough negotiations.
This is also the key to freeing more hostages. Strong military pressure and very tough negotiations.
In fact, I advocate that Hamas cease its delusional demands. Then we will be able to move forward.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
