Hamas rejects Egyptian short-term ceasefire & hostage release deal, US Sec. Blinken confirms

Hamas has once again rejected a limited ceasefire-hostage release deal, the U.S. State Department said Monday. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to discuss the situation in the Middle East and in Sudan. 

During the call, “The Secretary noted that Hamas has once again refused to release even a limited number of hostages to secure a ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza,” State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said. 

“He discussed the importance of establishing a path for the post-conflict period that provides governance, security, and reconstruction.” 

Egypt had proposed a limited ceasefire deal, which did not call for the removal of all IDF troops from Gaza, and would see the release of only about four hostages.

The deal was meant to restart the stalled hostage release ceasefire negotiations. 

Another proposal, discussed by U.S., Israeli, and Qatari officials in Doha, Qatar last week, also called for a limited ceasefire and hostage release. That proposal would have called for a 30-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of a larger group of 11-14 hostages, primarily women and children. 

Sources close to Hamas told Middle East Eye that the group is not willing to consider any proposal that does not include the “total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.”  

After some of the details of the Egyptian deal were released last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Hamas had not accepted the proposal. In comments to a Likud party meeting, Netanyahu reportedly said, “Israel has not received a proposal for the release of four hostages in return for a 48-hour ceasefire in Gaza.” 

His office clarified that if such a proposal had been accepted by Hamas, Netanyahu would have immediately accepted it. 

Secretary Blinken’s statement about Hamas’ refusal to accept the deal is the first concrete evidence that the terror group is the party unwilling to move forward with the latest proposal. 

It indicates that Hamas has not given up its demand that any ceasefire and hostage release deal include the full withdrawal of IDF troops from the Gaza Strip. 

The U.S. government has been engaged in negotiations for months, despite an apparent lack of interest in a deal by Hamas. Indian news site Republic World cited a “diplomat familiar with the situation” who said the U.S. government has been keen on achieving some deal before the elections, hoping to give a boost to Vice President Kamala Harris. 

A hostage release deal involving a ceasefire and the possible withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza, or even a permanent ceasefire, has been a controversial issue within Israel, as many hostage families support the acceptance of any deal that would bring their loved ones home, while a few families, and many in the defense and security sector, believe Israel cannot agree to Hamas’ terms without risking another massacre. 

The recent apprehension of several suspects involved in the leaking of secret documents to foreign press has increased that tension, as several of the suspects are accused of leaking the documents in an effort to sway Israeli public opinion towards a firmer stance in the negotiations.