Hamas Sets Conditions to Free Hostages and End War

[Beastly Boy]

Source: Newsweek

Hamas has offered to release all hostages captured on October 7, 2023, after the U.S. hostage envoy said the fighting would end immediately if they are all freed.

But Hamas also set demands including the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and the withdrawal of Israel's troops from the strip, Gaza-based Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said. The group has consistently said it will not disarm, making its terms unlikely to be acceptable to Israel.

Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Force and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin's Netanyahu for comment.
Why It Matters

The latest proposal from Hamas suggests a different course from previous hostage releases under temporary ceasefire arrangements in which small groups of Israeli hostages – both death and alive – were handed back in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-sets-conditions-free-hostages-end-war-2061435

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So here is the deal:

Hamas started the war in violation of the previous cease fire. Hamas took hostages and killed many of them. Hamas now wants, as a pre-condition to the negotiations taking place, the end of the war and a whole bunch of terrorists, many serving life sencences for murder, released from Israeli jails.

They want to go back to the pre-October 7 status quo, before they violated a cease fire, took over 200 hostages and started the war, and pay no price for either. IN ADDITION, they want Israel to release thousands of prisoners, including hundreds of convicted terrorists.

Or else.

In what demented Kafkaesque nightmare would this be considered a reasonable negotiating stance?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

1. HAMAs setting conditions on Israel for the release of hostages, living or dead?

HAMAs, who invaded Israel, murdering, raping, torturing, maiming and kidnapping innocent Israeli and foreign citizens?
That HAMAs?

Yeah, because HAMAs has been so truthful since it's illegal invasion, but we damn well know that when Israel, rightfully so, rejects their "offer", Israel will be blamed for not bowing down to the "benevolent" terrorists.

Can't hardly wait to see the comments on this from those that try to twist this into Israel's fault.

[maxsolomon]

2. "The latest proposal from Hamas suggests a different course"?

The latest proposal from Hamas suggests a different course from previous hostage releases under temporary ceasefire arrangements in which small groups of Israeli hostages – both death and alive – were handed back in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Sounds like their latest position is different by 2 letters: S & M. "SMall" becomes "all".

[thesquanderer]

3. I get your point, but I think you over-state the case...

...by suggesting they've paid no price.

Also, your lines "whole bunch of terrorists, many serving life sencences for murder, released from Israeli jails" and "they want Israel to release thousands of prisoners, including hundreds of convicted terrorists" seem speculative. Based on the article, there was no indication of wanting thousands released. Or for that matter, that they want ones who are convicted terrorists serving life sentences. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying I don't see that in the article. The article says they want "the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails according to an agreed-upon number" but in terms of this current negotiation, at least, the article does not indicate how big that number is, or what any of them have been convicted of, or the length of their sentences.

Also, I don't think this is, as you put it, a pre-condition for negotiation to end the war, but rather I think this is an attempt at an actual negotiation to end the war (not merely a pre-condition for further negotiation).

[Beastly Boy]

4. I appreciate your objections, and I welcome your challenge. I am prepared to reply to each objection you raised.

- It is the Gazans who paid the price for Hamas, not Hamas itself. The war casualties that the Hamas militants are incurring are a consequence of combat, not the price for invading Israel , not for taking hostages, and not for starting and conducting the war in violation of international laws and treaties. Hamas has yet to pay the price for that.

- As of today, nearly 2,000 Palestinians prisoners have been released in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, eight of them murdered prior to exchange (https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israel-hamas-ceasefire-1st-phase-nears-end-heres-how-many-hostages-are-still-in-gaza-7791933). The names, titles, offenses and sentences of 737 Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds with convictions for murder, have been published by Israel's Ministry of Justice, as opposed to those detainees under the jurisdiction of IDF released in Gaza (https://www.gov.il/he/Departments/DynamicCollectors/is-db?skip=0). If so inclined, you can google translate each one of the 737 records to get better acquainted with their identities and crimes). There is nothing speculative about these records that list hundreds of convicted terrorists, many serving life sentences for being convicted of crimes which include murder. The "agreed upon number" mentioned in the article refers not only to the random count of people Hamas demands to be released, but the list of the names of those people.

And this happened already, with not a single living Hamas member being held accountable for their crimes. Current demands of Hamas will only increase these numbers. Or else.

Here is how BBC reported on Hamas rejecting further negotiations:

Hamas has formally rejected Israel's latest ceasefire offer, saying it is prepared to immediately negotiate a deal that would see the release of all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

In a video statement, Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said: "We will not accept partial deals that serve [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's political agenda."

-snip-

"Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation, even if the price is sacrificing all his prisoners [hostages]," Hayya said.

He added the group was "ready to immediately negotiate a deal to swap all hostages with an agreed number of Palestinians jailed by Israel" and end the war.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8gzm0p1y8o

The Hamas chief negotiator had explicitly conditioned further negotiations on these demands while rejecting any further participation in negotiations: swap all hostages and end the war. Just as I stated their position in my post: return to the pre-October status quo and get hundreds of terrorists released as a bonus, while paying no price for their war crimes. Or else, no negotiations.

If this is not a pre-condition, I don't know what is.