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Negotiators Said To Believe Chance Of Hostage Deal ‘Close To Zero’; US Also Pessimistic
Channel 12 reports that the likelihood of achieving a phased ceasefire agreement based on Israel’s proposal from May is “close to zero.” According to unnamed sources within the Israeli security community, there is now “very broad pessimism” among the Israeli negotiators.
The US, which had previously indicated plans to introduce a new bridging proposal within the next few days, is now seen as unlikely to follow through with such a proposal, the report added.
The article highlighted significant frustration among Israeli negotiators, who had until recently been hopeful about reaching at least a preliminary agreement between Israel and the mediators that would then be presented to Hamas.
However, the Hebrew press conference held by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu last Monday, where he firmly reiterated the need for IDF control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border—a detail not included in the May proposal approved by Netanyahu—“buried” the chances of reaching such an agreement. Following this, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar became more entrenched in his positions, according to the report.
Further complicating matters, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared in an interview on Saturday night that the Philadelphi Corridor was not his only “red line.” He also opposed the withdrawal of the IDF from the Netzarim Corridor and the release of Palestinian security prisoners convicted of murder. The report stated that Smotrich’s stance, as the leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, which is a vital component of Netanyahu’s coalition, effectively “wiped out” the May proposal from Israel.
Channel 12 cited a source familiar with the negotiations who said, “It appears that the current proposal will not come to fruition at this time. There is no prospect of a phased deal.”
The network also reported that a senior Israeli negotiator informed hostage families that “not even the first phase” of the deal—a six-week ceasefire involving the release of around 30 hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and those in poor health—was likely to occur at this point.
“The only way forward is to end the war,” the negotiator allegedly stated, urging continued public support to bring about the end of the conflict.
The TV report also noted that sources within the defense establishment described the current situation as “fateful,” particularly concerning the north. The lack of a deal could potentially lead to an escalation with Hezbollah, which some speculate might agree to halt its attacks if a deal between Israel and Hamas were to be reached.
Channel 12 added that families of hostages holding dual Israeli-American citizenship were also being informed that the Biden administration had become less optimistic compared to a week ago when it was actively working on a new proposal.
Although efforts were ongoing, US mediators are reportedly hesitant to present a new proposal until they observe signs of possible progress. For now, they are urging Qatar and Egypt to “determine Hamas’s limits,” according to the report.
Meanwhile, Axios reported, citing White House officials, that President Joe Biden wants to introduce a new proposal, but his senior aides are skeptical about its success due to Netanyahu’s insistence on IDF control over the Philadelphi Corridor and the increasing demands by Sinwar for Palestinian terrorists in exchange for the hostages.
Biden also wishes to avoid making any concessions that could be seen as rewarding Hamas for the recent murder of six hostages, according to the officials.
US officials cited by Axios noted a “significant pessimism” at the White House following Hamas’s demand for the release of 100 additional life-term murderers beyond what had been previously agreed.
An official told Axios that “people at the White House are sad, upset and frustrated” over the current state of the negotiations.
“We are still working, but we are not about to present anything imminently,” the official said. “We are in a tough spot.”
These gloomy reports emerged as Hebrew media also reported on the grim conditions in which the six slain hostages were held and their desperate struggle as their captors prepared to execute them.
According to Channel 12, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesperson, has updated some hostage families on their loved ones’ final days and moments.
The six hostages were reportedly confined in a very narrow and small tunnel, barely wide enough for two people and too low for them to stand fully upright. The lack of air vents made it difficult for them to breathe, the report said.
There were no toilets or showers in the tunnel, and the hostages had to use water from their bottles for washing. Protein bars were found in the tunnel, but the hostages had very little food and lost significant weight, with 24-year-old Eden Yerushalmi weighing just 36 kilos (80 pounds).
The tunnel was said to have contained a generator, a small, faulty torch, a chess set, writing implements, and notepads. The IDF has given these notepads to the respective families, the report added.
The IDF estimates that the hostages were killed approximately 10 days ago, just before the IDF reached the tunnel. “Several of the six are assessed to have defended themselves and struggled with those who shot them,” the report stated. (A Channel 13 report mentioned “forensic” evidence indicating that “Hersh, Ori, Alex and Almog defended Eden and Carmel.”)
The hostages “did everything to survive in impossible circumstances,” a member of an unnamed family told Channel 12, “and, in the end, Hamas murdered them.”
“Their only demand was that the government save them, and the government failed in its mission,” they said.
On Sunday night, families of the hostages and their supporters began their second consecutive week of daily demonstrations on Tel Aviv’s Begin Street, outside the IDF headquarters, coinciding with the security cabinet’s meeting there.
Nearby, on Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, activists and hostage families commemorated the 10-year mark of Israeli civilian Avera Mengistu’s captivity.
Mengistu, 37, an Ethiopian-born Israeli civilian, entered the Gaza Strip voluntarily in 2014 while struggling with severe mental health issues and was captured by Hamas.
The rally featured speeches from Mengistu’s father, Agarnesh Mengistu; his brother, Ilan; Shirley Nesher, the surveillance soldier who saw Avera crossing into Gaza on September 7, 2014; and Yael Adar, mother of Tamir Adar, who was killed on October 7 and whose body was taken to Gaza.
“It’s difficult for me to even imagine how you spend 10 years in this situation,” Ilan Mengistu said. “My mother sits every evening during the news and flips through to find your picture. She says: ‘I don’t understand the language, but if I see his picture I’ll know they’re talking about him, that they haven’t forgotten about him.’”
Following the IDF’s announcement last Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of the six hostages from Gaza, mass demonstrations were held later that day and on Saturday outside the IDF headquarters on Tel Aviv’s Begin Street. Organizers reported that these demonstrations attracted hundreds of thousands of participants.
Hostage families and their supporters also began holding smaller daily protests in the same location, each drawing around 2,000 people, continuing on Sunday.
In Washington, DC, several Israelis protested outside the residence of Mike Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the US, urging him to publicly call for a hostage deal.
The protest featured Boaz Atzili, cousin of Aviv Atzili, whose body Hamas is holding in Gaza after murdering him in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
Social media footage showed Atzili addressing a small group of protesters about an incident on Tuesday, where Herzog allegedly declined to attend a vigil for the six slain hostages at Washington’s Adas Israel synagogue due to not being allowed to speak.
In response, protesters chanted “shame” in Hebrew—a common chant at anti-government rallies in Israel.
It is believed that 97 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack remain in Gaza, including at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
The sudden attack by Hamas saw thousands of terrorists assault southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a week-long ceasefire in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that.
Eight hostages have been rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military while attempting to escape from their captors.
{Matzav.com Israel}
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Erdogan Calls For Emergency Muslim Summit About Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called for an urgent emergency summit by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the ongoing conflict in Gaza and what he described as “Israel’s attacks on Jerusalem,” Reuters reports.
Following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan accused Israel of deliberately targeting the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as part of its “expansionist” agenda. He emphasized that both Jerusalem and the mosque are considered “red lines” for Ankara.
“It is unthinkable for the OIC, whose duty is to take care of the Jerusalem cause, to remain indifferent to these attacks. It is urgent that the organization convenes at the leadership level without losing more time,” Erdogan stated, according to Reuters.
His remarks come shortly after he called for a unified response from the Muslim world against Israel, which he asserted has ambitions to dominate the region.
“Israel will not stop in Gaza. After conquering Ramallah, it will want the lands of Syria and Lebanon,” Erdogan declared.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, Erdogan has intensified his verbal criticism of Israel. In a recent address, he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having “committed one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza” and labeled him as the “butcher of Gaza.”
In July, Erdogan had even threatened military action against Israel, stating, “We must be strong so Israel won’t be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There’s nothing left to do, we must be strong.” He further criticized Israel, alleging that it “committed acts of barbarism that will outshine” and declaring that “Gaza has become the world’s largest concentration camp.”
{Matzav.com}
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BIG BUCKS: Conservative Activist Vows $1B Investment to ‘Crush Liberal Dominance’
Leonard Leo, a conservative activist and the former executive vice president of the Federalist Society, told the Financial Times his nonprofit group was pledging $1 billion to “crush liberal dominance” in corporate America.
The conservative activist told the British broadsheet he would “direct resources to build talent and capital formation pipelines in the areas of news and entertainment, where leftwing extremism is most evident.”
Leo said the money would target “companies and financial institutions that bend to the woke mind virus.” Leo is most famous for his longtime role as vice president of the Federalist Society, where his networking helped reshape the Supreme Court’s conservative majority that eventually overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Leo stepped back from his position as head of the Federalist Society in 2020, but remains the organization’s co-chair. He is now the current chair of the Marble Freedom Trust, a nonprofit activist group he founded with the help of a $1.6 billion donation from Barre Seid, a nonagenarian electronics billionaire, in 2020. Read more at The Financial Times.
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Israel Says It Hit ‘Significant’ Hamas Terrorists Operating In Khan Yunis
Israeli Air Force fighter jets acting under the direction of the Shin Bet security agency and the Israel Defense Forces attacked “significant” Hamas terrorists running a command-and-control center in the humanitarian area in Khan Yunis, the Israeli government stated early on Tuesday morning.
“The terrorists advanced and carried out terror attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the Jewish state said. “Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional means.”
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to systematically abuse civilian and humanitarian infrastructure, including the designated humanitarian area, to carry out terrorist activity against the State of Israel and IDF troops,” the Israeli government added.
Citing medics and the Hamas terror organization, Reuters reported that at least 14 Palestinians were dead. The sources told the wire that Israel launched at least four missiles and that 20 tents were ablaze.
Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror organization that declares its aim to wipe out the Jewish state, is known to make up and distort statistics. JNS
{Matzav.com Israel}