Israeli and Hamas Leaders Pursue Gaza Offensive Amid Hostage Negotiations

Despite intense truce efforts and prisoner exchange talks, both Israel and Hamas continue their aggressive stances in the ongoing Gaza conflict

Israeli leaders have vowed to press ahead with their Gaza offensive, now in its third month, despite intense efforts to reach a truce and exchange of prisoners.

Both sides are striving to inflict maximum damage on each other so they can better their position at the negotiating table.

Hamas has made its position clear, stating there will be no negotiations for the release of the hostages until a permanent cease-fire is reached.

We are fighting until victory. We will not stop the war until we achieve all of its goals: completing the elimination of Hamas and releasing all of our hostages.

In a televised speech, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to continue the Gaza war until all of the country’s goals are achieved.

“We are fighting until victory,” the prime minister said. “We will not stop the war until we achieve all of its goals: completing the elimination of Hamas and releasing all of our hostages.”

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange with Israel as well as discussions about the “aggression in the Gaza Strip and other matters,” the group said in a statement.

Haniyeh, accompanied by a high-level delegation, held talks with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel.

Before he departed for Egypt, Haniyeh met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar.

This visit has fueled hopes that Israel and Hamas might be moving closer toward reaching another truce and hostage release deal in the Gaza war.

An Egyptian source reported that Haniyeh will present his movement’s vision for a complete agreement to stop the war in Gaza.

Hamas’ demands include a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to areas away from civilians, other Egyptian sources say.

Arab media outlets have reported that Hamas is demanding a written and binding agreement in the event of a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal.

The delegation will discuss ways to stop the [Israeli] war on Gaza, and [will discuss] a prisoner exchange deal

A delegation from the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad is also expected in Egypt for talks on a possible hostage swap deal with Israel, a group official stated on Wednesday.

“The delegation will discuss ways to stop the [Israeli] war on Gaza, and [will discuss] a prisoner exchange deal,” Ziad al-Nakhala, the secretary-general of Islamic Jihad, said in a statement.

Al-Nakhala stated that his movement would advocate for a halt to the Israeli onslaught, withdrawal of all Israeli forces, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal.

“The swap of hostages will take place based on the all-for-all principle, in a political process agreed upon by the Palestinian forces, led by Hamas,” al-Nakhala added.

Earlier, a group source reported that Egypt had invited a delegation from Islamic Jihad for talks on the developments of the Israeli war on Gaza.

The pressure is on, and the Egyptians would like to reach an agreement with the help of the Qataris and Americans soon

Ramallah-based political analyst Nihad Abu Ghosh told The Media Line, “When Haniyeh and al-Nakhala are in Egypt, that means business.”

Abu Ghosh noted that Egypt was tirelessly working to finalize a deal.

“The pressure is on, and the Egyptians would like to reach an agreement with the help of the Qataris and Americans soon,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu met late Tuesday in Tel Aviv with 15 members of the hostages’ families, telling them that he had twice dispatched Mossad chief David Barnea to Europe in efforts intended to “free our hostages.”

“It’s our duty; I am responsible for the release of all the hostages,” Netanyahu told the relatives of some of the 129 captives still believed to be held in Gaza.

“Saving them is a supreme task,” he stated, adding, “I have just sent the head of Mossad to Europe twice to promote a process to free our hostages. I will spare no effort on the subject, and our duty is to bring them all back,” Netanyahu declared.

While in Europe, Barnea met in Warsaw with CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday to discuss efforts to reach a new hostage deal.

Last month, with support from Egypt and the United States, Qatar helped broker a weeklong truce in which 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

A Hamas official informed The Media Line that his group was seeking to negotiate an agreement that would again lead to a weeklong lull in fighting and see the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

“There’s some kind of ongoing negotiation effort, but the problem is that while both sides would like to have a deal, there’s a gap when we talk about the end game for each one of them,” Uzi Rabi, the director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University, told The Media Line.

“Hamas wants to have a deal to make the war stop and be rescued or survive because it knows that Israel is going to continue till the end, until its demise. While Israel would like to have some of the hostages back in Israel because of the pressure on the prime minister,” added Rabi.

Although Israel and Hamas are not yet close to a truce, mediators are working feverishly at getting an agreement signed soon.

Rabi opines that a hostage deal is not imminent and remains distant.

“It’s not a done deal. It’s convoluted. If you ask me, there would be a deal but not tomorrow or in two or three days. Israel wants to smash the remnants of Hamas so it can have the upper hand,” said Rabi.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is under tremendous pressure, added Rabi. “He’s almost done here in Israel. Without having the head of Sinwar and crushing Hamas, it’s considered a failure.”

On Tuesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated that his country was “ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.”

Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad conveyed to Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera that a permanent cease-fire is the group’s “priority.”

Hamad stated that they would only proceed with a deal if it entailed a complete halt to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

“Israel will use the hostages as leverage, and then they will initiate a new round of mass killings and massacres,” he is quoted saying. “We will not play this game.”

But he said that Hamas was ready for a “big compromise” should the war stop.

The Palestinian Quds news outlet has reported that Egyptian officials will exert pressure on Hamas to accept proposals for a humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza, adding that Islamic Jihad will also be pressured to accept the truce.

“The exchange deal is still distant, but Israel is emphasizing it to quell the mounting popular pressure,” Abu Ghosh said,” said Abu Ghosh.

Abu Ghosh further explained that the Palestinian factions in Gaza face pressure to agree to a cease-fire.

He noted that discussions about a humanitarian truce and hostage release are being taken very seriously.