Hamas confirmed that the US administration had sent it, through mediators, a new proposal for an agreement for the release of the hostages and the establishment of a ceasefire.
The terrorist organization said that this new proposal included “slight changes” compared to the one set out by Joe Biden a few weeks ago and endorsed by the Israeli war cabinet. It noted “a movement towards a return to the starting point.”
In this context, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Mussa Abu Marzuk, outlined three factors, which he believes can influence Israel:
- “The solidity of the Palestinian people and resistance in the conflict with the Israeli army”
- “The weak situation of the United States during an election period which could avoid forcing Israel to agree to stop its aggression”
- “The internal division in Israel which is expressed in the relations between Netanyahu and the public and between Netanyahu and the army which could force Netanyahu to stop his aggression”.
Hamas insists that without a complete halt to fighting, which Israel refuses, there can be no deal.
An Israeli official said Israel still supports President Biden’s previous proposal and is awaiting Hamas’ response to the proposal.
This evening (Saturday), a video of Noa Argamani, released by Israeli forces three weeks ago, was released by the hostage families’ headquarters. In this video, she thanks the security forces who freed her and pays tribute to Arrnon Zmora, who fell in combat during this rescue operation. She also thanked “all those who made our voices heard when we could not”. She recalled that there remained 120 hostages in captivity, including her companion, Avinatan Or, from whom she was separated as soon as they were kidnapped. She called for their immediate release and asked that everything be done to obtain it.
Meanwhile, families of hostages held a demonstration today (Saturday) in which they spoke out against the head of government, accusing him of being the main obstacle to an agreement for the release of their loved ones. Slogans such as “We replace him, we bring them back” were featured on the banners, alluding to Netanyahu’s departure from power.
Dany Elgarat, the brother of Itzik hostage in Gaza declared: “’It’s the end’, these are the last words Itzik said to me on the phone this Saturday. I heard the disappointment in his voice, that of having been abandoned. Itzik was wrong, it wasn’t the end. We are sure he survived another 52 days in captivity. We have testimonies from those who saw it. The day of his kidnapping on October 7 was not the end but the beginning of a new abandonment, more serious than the first. It is a voluntary abandonment, programmed to achieve a single goal: to remain in power”.
Other relatives of the hostages said: “What separates us from our relatives is Netanyahu’s stubbornness. He is prolonging the war for personal reasons, because an agreement would lead to the end of the war, which would lead to elections and the end of his term.”
