Death of Hamas deputy halts hostage deal talks
Around 130 Israeli hostages are still being held by Hamas. In talks on a further exchange, the Israelis in particular see themselves in the stronger position. The death of the Hamas vice president is now likely to lead to a pause in negotiations.
Following the suspected killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut, negotiations on a possible new hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas have come to a standstill, according to a report. The talks are now focusing on preventing an escalation between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported, citing Arab diplomatic circles. The "assassination attempt" had changed the situation. Progress towards reaching another hostage deal is currently no longer possible. The deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamist Hamas, Saleh al-Aruri, was killed in an explosion in Lebanon's capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously considered himself to be on the more influential side in the negotiations with Hamas. "There was an ultimatum from Hamas, now it has been watered down." Hamas did not comment on this at first.
The terrorist organization had recently stressed several times that it would reject any negotiations until a ceasefire in the Gaza war came into force. The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history on October 7, in which terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups also abducted around 240 people in the Gaza Strip.
Under the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the USA, Israel and the Islamist Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza war lasting several days at the end of November. During this time, hostages were released from their captors in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons. According to Israeli information, almost 130 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
According to Hamas leader Ismail Hanija, however, the hostages should only be released on the "conditions" of the Islamist Palestinian organization. The Hamas leader also said that he was "open" to a joint Palestinian government for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which is already controlled by Hamas. "We have received many initiatives regarding the internal (Palestinian) situation and we are open to the idea of a national government for the West Bank and Gaza Strip," Hanija said in a televised speech.
As the US news website Axios reported, citing Israeli sources, Hamas had submitted a proposal for a new hostage exchange. In return for the release of some hostages, the plan envisaged three phases, each with a pause in fighting lasting more than a month, during which Israeli troops would withdraw from the Gaza Strip. According to the plan, the last phase would then herald the end of the war.
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In light of the death of Hamas deputy head Saleh al-Aruri, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might reevaluate his strategy in the ongoing negotiations with Hamas over the release of Israeli hostages held by the terrorist organization. The recent assassination attempt in Lebanon could potentially halt any progress towards a new hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Source: www.ntv.de
