Hamas says it will not free any more hostages until Israel ends its war in Palestine ahead of ceasefire talks in Cairo

[CharlieH]

 

• Hamas says it will only discuss a permanent ceasefire in exchange for hostages
• Leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo for talks prompting hope for progress 
• Israeli PM Netanyahu said Israel would not stop until Hamas is eliminated 

Hamas has threatened to not release any more hostages unless Israel agrees to end its war in the Palestinian territories.

The warning came as the terror group's chief landed in Cairo for talks over a ceasefire.

Ismail Haniyeh flew into Egypt from his home in Qatar – prompting hopes that a new wave of releases could be imminent.

The militant leader typically wades publicly into diplomacy when progress seems likely. But US President Joe Biden warned last night that he did not expect a deal to be struck soon given the great divide between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has insisted all remaining women and infirm men must be released and accepts it may have to release Palestinians convicted of serious offences in return.

But Hamas says it will only discuss a permanent ceasefire in exchange for hostages, rather than a temporary halt to hostilities, which Tel Aviv will not agree to.

A Palestinian official said: 'Hamas's stance remains, they don't have a desire for humanitarian pauses. Hamas wants a complete end to the Israeli war on Gaza.'

Responding to the claims, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: 'We won't stop fighting until we've achieved all the objectives we've set ourselves – the elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the end of the threat from Gaza.'

Negotiations are also complicated as another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, has some of the 129 hostages in Gaza. It said its leader would also visit Egypt to try to bring a possible end to the war. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the world must pressure Hamas, not just Israel, after wide global criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

'There seems to be silence on what Hamas could do, should do, must do if we want to end the suffering of innocent men, women and children,' he said. 'It would be good if the world could unite around that proposition as well.'

Mr Blinken also said he was hoping for a positive outcome on a second UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.

 

FULL STORY

 

 

[Morch]

Hamas leadership is structured in a way that there are actually several people at the top, representing different 'wings' (or bodies) of Hamas. There is also a further division between representatives of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and abroad. There is no clear hierarchy when it comes to decision making, and a certain measure of autonomy involved.

 

Right now, reports suggest that the more 'political' wings, especially those abroad are more in favor of negotiations, but their influence on the military wing in the Gaza Strip is limited. This also has to do with personal rivalries and relationships.

 

There are recent reports alleging Hamas 'political' wings are also trying to 'make peace' with the Fatah, talks about joining the mainstream of Palestinian politics. Whether this is indeed so, or whether its just something taken to alleviate political pressures (or to apply pressure on the military wing in the Gaza Strip) is yet to be seen.

 

 

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, Morch said:

Hamas leadership is structured in a way that there are actually several people at the top, representing different 'wings' (or bodies) of Hamas. There is also a further division between representatives of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and abroad. There is no clear hierarchy when it comes to decision making, and a certain measure of autonomy involved.

 

Right now, reports suggest that the more 'political' wings, especially those abroad are more in favor of negotiations, but their influence on the military wing in the Gaza Strip is limited. This also has to do with personal rivalries and relationships.

 

There are recent reports alleging Hamas 'political' wings are also trying to 'make peace' with the Fatah, talks about joining the mainstream of Palestinian politics. Whether this is indeed so, or whether its just something taken to alleviate political pressures (or to apply pressure on the military wing in the Gaza Strip) is yet to be seen.

 

 

 

BS until you provide a credible link. This reaction by Hamas was entirely predictable. Anything else would be nuts until Israel agrees to a permanent solution.

 

And before the islamophobes jump on, for the 1,000th time, I condemn Hamas.

[Morch]

10 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

 

BS until you provide a credible link. This reaction by Hamas was entirely predictable. Anything else would be nuts until Israel agrees to a permanent solution.

 

And before the islamophobes jump on, for the 1,000th time, I condemn Hamas.

 

A credible link to which part, exactly? Most of what I posted is common knowledge for anyone following this. Much of what I posted now was discussed way earlier in the topics as well.

 

I see your new bogus thing is Islamophobia. Give it a rest.

[ozimoron]

Just now, Morch said:

 

A credible link to which part, exactly? Most of what I posted is common knowledge for anyone following this. Much of what I posted now was discussed way earlier in the topics as well.

 

I see your new bogus thing is Islamophobia. Give it a rest.

 

AS I said, BS until proven otherwise. I'm calling your BS out.

[Morch]

11 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

 

AS I said, BS until proven otherwise. I'm calling your BS out.

 

You've said that - and failed to clarify which parts you refer to - Hamas structure? Power dynamics? Recent developments?

[ozimoron]

28 minutes ago, Morch said:

Hamas leadership is structured in a way that there are actually several people at the top, representing different 'wings' (or bodies) of Hamas. There is also a further division between representatives of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and abroad. There is no clear hierarchy when it comes to decision making, and a certain measure of autonomy involved.

 

Right now, reports suggest that the more 'political' wings, especially those abroad are more in favor of negotiations, but their influence on the military wing in the Gaza Strip is limited. This also has to do with personal rivalries and relationships.

 

There are recent reports alleging Hamas 'political' wings are also trying to 'make peace' with the Fatah, talks about joining the mainstream of Palestinian politics. Whether this is indeed so, or whether its just something taken to alleviate political pressures (or to apply pressure on the military wing in the Gaza Strip) is yet to be seen.

 

I challenged you for a link to this claim and got the usual response (lack of a link and feigned ignorance).

[Morch]

6 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

 

I challenged you for a link to this claim and got the usual response (lack of a link and feigned ignorance).

 

Which claim would that be?

There are several issues referenced.

You keep shouting BS, yet failing to clarify what it is you object to, exactly.

[Bkk Brian]

Israel offered a weeks pause for the exchange of 40 hostages with prisoners, Hamas refused and instead demanded this. Here we have some posters defending that saying it was predicable and anything else would be nuts. Sick.

 

I'm with Blinken not the apologists:

 

Blinken calls out other countries for not demanding Hamas surrender and ‘stop hiding behind civilians’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called out other countries for not demanding Hamas surrender.

“What is striking to me is that even as, again, we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all like to see, I hear virtually no one saying – demanding of Hamas that it stop hiding behind civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrender. This is over tomorrow if Hamas does that. This would have been over a month ago, six weeks ago, if Hamas had done that,” Blinken said during a press briefing at the State Department Wednesday.

“How can it be that there are no demands made of the aggressor and only demands made of the victim,” Blinken went on to say.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/20/politics/blinken-israel-hamas-surrender/index.html

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Netanyahu must be getting worried by the israeli civilian anger towards him over not freeing the hostages as he sent the president out to beg ask for another "pause" so more could be released.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-herzog-floats-second-gaza-truce-recovering-hostages-2023-12-19/

Israel's Herzog floats second Gaza truce for recovering hostages

[Morch]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Netanyahu must be getting worried by the israeli civilian anger towards him over not freeing the hostages as he sent the president out to beg ask for another "pause" so more could be released.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-herzog-floats-second-gaza-truce-recovering-hostages-2023-12-19/

Israel's Herzog floats second Gaza truce for recovering hostages

 

@thaibeachlovers

 

You complain when Israel offers war.

You complain when Israel offers a 'pause'.

 

 

[Morch]

@spidermike007

 

It's been a long while since the NYT could have been labeled as 'supportive of Israel'. Painting it this way is intentionally misleading.

 

Same goes for 'brutality against women and children', leaving out all them Hamas men out of the picture.

 

Hamas fans/Israel haters here seem very excited about the NYT story (I think like 6-8 references since last evening). So for starters, these were supplied by the USA, even as this current conflict was unfolding and going on - so was the USA supplying them with some caveat about them not being used? Was there any USA action to stop Israel from using them? I don't think so (with regard to both counts). And 200 craters - that sounds like a lot, unless, of course one recalls the total number of bombs and munitions used (making the figure more like 1% of the total, if that). As far as I'm aware, there is no analysis of how many casualties these specific bombings actually caused.

[FruitPudding]

On 12/21/2023 at 6:30 AM, CharlieH said:

Hamas says it will only discuss a permanent ceasefire in exchange for hostages

 

 

What??

 

What was the point in them starting this conflict if they are the ones wanting a permanent ceasefire??

 

Didn't they know Isreal would strike back hard after they entered Israel and raped and murdered people in their homes?

[Rimmer]

Unattributed post removed

 

The War in Israel

Latest developments and discussion of events in the Israel-Hamas War. Any alleged factual claims must be supported by a valid link to an approved credible source.

 

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[xylophone]

On 12/21/2023 at 12:05 PM, Bkk Brian said:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called out other countries for not demanding Hamas surrender.

“What is striking to me is that even as, again, we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all like to see, I hear virtually no one saying – demanding of Hamas that it stop hiding behind civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrender. This is over tomorrow if Hamas does that. This would have been over a month ago, six weeks ago, if Hamas had done that,” Blinken said during a press briefing at the State Department Wednesday.

“How can it be that there are no demands made of the aggressor and only demands made of the victim,” Blinken went on to say.

 

A good post by @Bkk Brian, with which I totally concur.

 

I have another solution which won't please the majority of the people, but be it on the heads of the people/organisation that started this conflict: – raze Gaza to the ground, wipe out the population, no matter whom they be (and many of the Palestinians there are Hamas sympathisers, no matter what they might say) and for those who shout out about "killing children" well that's what happens when you start a war and has happened since time immemorial.......be it on the heads of the aggressors.

 

Time to get rid of this awful terrorist faction called Hamas, and stopping the war and long ceasefires will only help them to regroup and rearm, exactly what they want. They need to be wiped out in whatever way is possible.

I like the stance of Netanyahu, and only hope he sticks to his guns (sorry about the pun).

[Morch]

12 minutes ago, xylophone said:

 

A good post by @Bkk Brian, with which I totally concur.

 

I have another solution which won't please the majority of the people, but be it on the heads of the people/organisation that started this conflict: – raze Gaza to the ground, wipe out the population, no matter whom they be (and many of the Palestinians there are Hamas sympathisers, no matter what they might say) and for those who shout out about "killing children" well that's what happens when you start a war and has happened since time immemorial.......be it on the heads of the aggressors.

 

Time to get rid of this awful terrorist faction called Hamas, and stopping the war and long ceasefires will only help them to regroup and rearm, exactly what they want. They need to be wiped out in whatever way is possible.

I like the stance of Netanyahu, and only hope he sticks to his guns (sorry about the pun).

 

This is a horrible post.

It implies that every government hijacking the reigns makes the whole population ultimately responsible.

It actually echoes Hamas ideology - displaying similar logic and morals.

 

As for Netanyahu - he does not have a stance. He does what's best for his political career and survival.

Netanyahu facilitated much of the conditions which led to this, ignored warnings and was basically useless when the attack begun.