Chance at another hostage release slim to none as Israeli offensive grows
The chance that more Israeli hostages will be freed by Hamas is dwindling while Israel expands its ground offensive throughout Gaza and the US struggles to restart talks, well-placed sources say.
“Today not much happened in the talks between the parties,” a foreign source familiar with hostage negotiations told Haaretz on Sunday. “The matter is stuck.
“Although the door hasn’t been shut permanently, the atmosphere is pessimistic.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later made it clear that Israel had pulled out of hostage negotiations for now.
A cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian terror group — which allowed for the release of dozens of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas during its sneak assault on Israel on Oct. 7 — ended Friday, when the Israeli government accused the terrorists of violating the agreement by launching rockets at the Jewish nation.
Israel swiftly reignited its war against Hamas, launching its 10,000th airstrike Sunday on the Gaza Strip since the conflict began Oct. 7 and stating it would spread its ground invasion throughout the Palestinian-held region.
With that assault ongoing, an unidentified foreign diplomat said he doesn’t expect any more hostages to be released.
“It will take much time and efforts to prepare the sides for another deal, especially with the intensification of the Israeli military operation in the background,” the diplomat told Haaretz.
The US is still desperately trying to persuade Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations for a peace pause and exchange more Palestinian prisoners for hostages.
“We are still working it really hard, hour by hour, to see if we can get the sides back to the table and see if we can get something moving,” John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
He emphasized that Hamas was to blame for the breakdown in talks, saying it failed to live up to the terms of its original agreement by refusing to produce a list of more women and children hostages who could be released — in addition to the 105 who have already been freed.
Meanwhile, Osama Hamdan, a representative for Hamas in Lebanon, has said negotiations would not resume until the Israeli ground invasion stopped, according to the New York Times.
Netanyahu said his country is focusing its efforts on getting the hostages released through force.
“We are continuing now to speak with our enemy about continuing to free hostages — speaking with fire,” he told members of his Likud party Sunday, according to the Times of Israel.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday told the family members of those who remain captive in Gaza, “When the military operations advance, the pressure on Hamas rises and so do our chances of returning more hostages.”
But the families are demanding that Israel once again negotiate with the terrorist group to release more hostages.
They demanded Monday to meet with all three members of Israel’s war cabinet, with Yael Adar — the mother of hostage Tamir Adar — saying they want to be reassured that the government remains focused on getting the hostages home.
“We are asking for answers about the next steps and for [the cabinet] to assure us that the hostages are a priority,” she said at a news conference, according to the Times of Israel.
Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandparents were taken hostage, called on the Israeli government to free the hostages no matter what.
“Return to the negotiating table immediately … and reach an agreement at any price,” he said. “That is what you promised us. We will not beg.”
Netanyahu’s office said he, Gallant and Knesset member Benny Gantz are scheduled to meet with the families of hostages Wednesday but are considering moving the meeting up.
