Hamas to Consider Proposal for Hostage Release Deal

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Jan 30, 2024

Image copyright: Ahmad Hasaballah/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Imagesstory last updated Jan 30

The Facts

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh announced on Tuesday that the group would consider a proposal — arranged by Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Israel on Sunday during talks in Paris — to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and potentially pause the fighting for weeks, saying that the group remains committed to ending the war and securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated on Tuesday that the war wouldn't end until Hamas is eliminated, stating that Israel wouldn't withdraw its troops from Gaza or free thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

The Spin

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israel is losing its war in Gaza. After over three months and 26K dead Palestinians, Israel has failed to release hostages via military operations, to kill Hamas's 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 war 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 that it will have a tough time climbing out of. Israel should accept a comprehensive ceasefire.

The Nation

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's 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.