Israel-Hamas war live updates: Netanyahu rejects cease-fire terms as Gaza hostage families push for a deal
NBCJan 29
Egyptian Official: Hamas Rejects Israeli Deal
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Image copyright: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
According to an anonymous Egyptian official who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Hamas has rejected an Israeli proposal for another hostage release deal, which would have likely included a two-month ceasefire. The deal, however, reportedly didn't include a framework to end the war completely, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said won't happen until Hamas is destroyed.
The proposal, delivered to Hamas via Qatari and Egyptian mediation, reportedly posited a multi-phase agreement that exchanged all Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip for the release of a significant amount of Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza's population centers, and increased freedom of movement within the strip.
The Spin
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel is losing its war in Gaza. After over three months and 25K dead Palestinians, Israel has failed to release hostages via military operations, to kill Hamas' top leaders, or to create conditions advantageous to ending this long drawn-out conflict. Even then, if Israel did manage to achieve the majority of its goals, it still would be left without a clear plan of action for the day after the war. Destroying a group like Hamas is a fool's errand, and Netanyahu has dug Israel into a hole it will have a tough time climbing out of. Israel should accept a comprehensive ceasefire.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though, of course, this war has not been easy, Israel has made steady progress in Gaza, first neutralizing Gaza City before moving on to other population centers like Khan Younis. Israel has substantially degraded Hamas' military capabilities and leadership and even partially degraded elite Hezbollah units stationed along Israel's northern border. Indeed, as Israel's enemies should recognize, Israel's raw military power should not even be up for debate, and the country will fight and negotiate as it sees fit to achieve its goals.
