The Wall Street Journal based their report on sources from both Hamas and Egypt, suggesting the stance of the leader of the organization in the Gaza Strip, who insists on ending the war, is at odds with the views of other high-ranking members of the movement.
A report in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday detailed the challenges in negotiations over the release of kidnapped Israelis held in the Gaza Strip. Husam Badran, a senior official in Hamas’ political bureau, reiterated the organization’s demands, which include ending the war, withdrawing all IDF forces from Gaza, returning displaced individuals to the north of the Strip, and creating a rehabilitation plan.
The report, based on a source in Hamas and several Egyptian sources, also mentioned that Qatar threatened to expel senior Hamas officials residing in Doha if they failed to convince the Gaza Strip leadership to reach an agreement with mediators and Israel.
Badran, speaking from Hamas’ offices in Doha, expressed the group’s desire to continue negotiations to end the war. However, he warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to escalation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The report also mentioned that Arab mediators in the negotiations plan to meet on Sunday to try to promote a short two-day ceasefire before Ramadan, which is expected to start on Monday or Tuesday.
The report also highlighted that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Strip, demands that Israel commit to ending the war, a position that puts him at odds with other senior officials in the movement. This information comes alongside an unusual announcement by Mossad about a meeting held on Friday by the head of the organization, Dadi Barna, in Jordan with the head of the CIA, Bill Burns. The announcement stated, “At this stage, Hamas is entrenched in its position as someone who is not interested in a deal. He is striving to ignite the region during Ramadan at the expense of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip. All the time, contacts and cooperation continue with the mediators in an attempt to narrow the gaps and promote agreements.”
An Israeli source added, “Hamas has a clear interest in entering Ramadan while its public is suffering, the world blames Israel and thus it will improve its terms in the negotiation. All the mediators, led by the US, are unanimous that the negotiations are not progressing because Hamas does not want a deal and not because Israel won’t compromise.”
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