- Middle East and US officials believe the devastation caused in the Gaza Strip by the nine-month Israeli offensive has forced Hamas to soften its demand for a ceasefire.
- Over the weekend, Hamas dropped its longstanding demand that Israel promise to end the fighting as part of any ceasefire deal.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas joined the talks because of military pressure, including a two-month offensive in Rafah.
Many officers are involved in this case. Middle East And the US believes the devastation caused in the Gaza Strip by the nine-month Israeli offensive may have helped push Hamas to soften its demands for a ceasefire deal.
Over the weekend, Hamas dropped its longstanding demand that Israel promise to end the fighting as part of any ceasefire deal. The sudden shift has raised fresh hopes for progress in internationally brokered talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that military pressure – including Israel’s two-month-long offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah – “had forced Hamas to join the talks.”
Israeli tanks enter central Rafah for the first time in Gaza war
Hamas, an Islamist militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction and which seized control of Gaza in 2007, is highly secretive and little is known about its inner workings.
Palestinians assess the damage following an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 6, 2024. Many Middle East and US officials believe the level of devastation in the Gaza Strip caused by the nine-month Israeli offensive has possibly helped Hamas soften its demands for a ceasefire agreement. (Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images)
But in recent internal communications seen by The Associated Press, messages signed by several senior Hamas leaders in Gaza urged the group’s exiled political leadership to accept a cease-fire proposal offered by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The messages shared by a Middle East official familiar with the ongoing talks described heavy losses suffered by Hamas on the battlefield and dire conditions in the war-ravaged region, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to share the contents of Hamas’ internal communications.
It is not known whether this internal pressure was a factor in Hamas’s resilience. But the messages point to divisions within the group and a willingness among top militants to reach an agreement as quickly as possible, even if Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ top official in Gaza, is in no hurry. Sinwar has been in hiding since the war began last October and is believed to be hiding in a deep underground tunnel.
Israeli military says fighting has ended in part of northern Gaza
US officials declined to comment on the communication.
But a person familiar with Western intelligence, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said the group’s leadership understood its forces had suffered heavy losses and that this had helped Hamas move closer to a ceasefire deal.
Two American officials They said the Americans are aware of internal divisions within Hamas and that those divisions, the destruction in Gaza or pressure from mediators Egypt and Qatar could be factors in the militant group softening its demands for a settlement. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the Biden administration’s view of the current situation.
The Middle East official shared details of two internal Hamas communications written by senior Gaza officials to the group’s exiled leadership in Qatar, where Hamas supreme leader Ismail Haniyya resides.
The letter said the war had taken a heavy toll on Hamas fighters, and that senior leaders abroad had urged Hamas’ political wing to accept the deal despite Sinwar’s reluctance.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha dismissed any possibility of a split within the group.
“The position of the movement is unified and articulated through the organisational structure of the leadership,” he said.
The intelligence official showed the AP a transcript of the communication in Arabic but declined to say how the information was obtained, or the original format of the communication.
The official said the conversations took place in May and June and came from several senior officials of the group’s military wing in Gaza.
The messages acknowledge the killing of Hamas fighters and detail the damage caused by the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip. They also indicate that Sinwar either does not know the full extent of the fighting losses or is not providing full information to those he interacts with outside the region.
It is not known whether Haniyeh or any other top Qatari official has responded.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the message. Egypt and Qatar also did not immediately comment.
Egypt and Qatar are working closely with the United States to bring a ceasefire and end the devastating nine-month war. Talks resumed last week after months of turmoil and are set to continue in the coming days.
There is still no guarantee of an agreement. Netanyahu’s office announced over the weekend that “there are still some shortcomings.” US officials said they were optimistic about the prospects for a ceasefire based on the latest developments, but stressed that several attempts that looked promising have failed.
Still, the two sides appear closer to an agreement than they have been in several months.
Israel launched the war in Gaza following Hamas’ October offensive, in which militants raided southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people – most of them civilians – and kidnapping about 250. Israel says Hamas still holds about 120 people hostage – about a third of whom are estimated to be dead.
Since then, Israeli air and ground attacks have killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The assault has caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis, leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, according to international officials.
Click here to get the Fox News app
The war in Gaza has sparked international legal scrutiny of Israel’s conduct, including a case at the top United Nations Court The genocide charges leveled by South Africa and a request for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court prosecutor, who also sought warrants for Hamas leaders.
Hamas and Egyptian officials confirmed on Saturday that Hamas had dropped a key demand that Israel commit to ending the war in advance. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected this demand, stalling the talks for months.
Instead, the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks, said a phased settlement would begin with a six-week ceasefire during which elderly, sick and female hostages would be released by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations on a broader settlement, including an end to the war, would only begin during this phase, they said.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Israel destroys Hamas’s military and governance capabilities, even if the hostages are released.
