As Israelis wait with anxiety and fear for Iran to launch its promised attack to avenge the deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah terror leaders, the war in Gaza is continuing, and the fate of the 115 hostages still being held either alive or dead is as murky as ever.
Monday marked the fifth birthday of Ariel Bibas, who is thought to have been held captive in Gaza by Hamas, along with his mother, Shiri, and baby brother, Kfir – who is believed to have turned one year old in captivity – since October 7.
The reason or reasons why the Bibas family and the rest of the hostages haven’t been freed in a ceasefire deal is dependent on whom one chooses to believe.
We, the citizens of Israel, don’t know what is going on behind closed doors and, instead, need to rely on the words of those involved in the long, drawn-out process that has been taking place on and off for months.
Unfortunately, we’re hearing different versions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that the talks haven’t borne fruit due to Hamas intransigence.
Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, “Israel neither changed nor added any condition to the [Biden-proposed] outline. On the contrary, as of now, it is Hamas which has demanded 29 changes and has not responded to the original outline.”
All of the redlines Israel is insisting on – including the IDF’s retention of the critical buffer zone between Israel and Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor, a mechanism to stop terrorists and weapons entering the Netzarim route, and the importance of ensuring that terrorists do not return to northern Gaza – fall within the framework of the deal, Netanyahu has repeatedly stated.
Reports suggest, however, that those demands were not part of the Biden plan and were added later by Netanyahu. Channel 12, over the weekend, reported that senior officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF chief Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Netanyahu that those allegedly new conditions would doom the deal.
What is holding up a hostage deal?
“There is no security reason to delay the deal,” Gallant was quoted as telling Netanyahu during a top-level security meeting on Wednesday night. “For all moral and strategic reasons, we should see the deal as an opportunity. There will be no deal under the conditions you set, and you know it.”
N12 also quoted IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon as saying, “You know that all the parameters you added will not be accepted, and there will be no deal. There is nothing to go on.”
KAN News reported that the Israeli negotiating team, including Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad head David Barnea, also reportedly told Netanyahu that the redlines he “added” to the ceasefire outline that was initially proposed would never be accepted by Hamas.
According to KAN, members of the negotiating team further told Netanyahu that his position would “collapse the deal” and that Israel “approved a proposal that treats the [Netzarim] corridor differently.”
US President Joe Biden, for his part, apparently also doesn’t believe that Netanyahu is sincere in his efforts to reach a deal.
N12 reported on Saturday that during their phone conversation on Thursday night, the president had also accused the prime minister of delaying the deal. To Netanyahu’s assurances that he was not, he said, “Stop bulls****ing me.”
The PMO doubled down on the claims that Netanyahu added new demands to the ceasefire proposal, reiterating this week that “all the demands that Israel insists on are by the [Biden] framework. Contrary to what is claimed, the prime minister did not add anything to these demands – it is Hamas that demanded dozens of changes to the framework.”
“Leaks and false media briefings by unknown parties create a false representation to the public,” it added.
So, what is it? The public is desperate to know. Who is telling the truth, and who is doctoring the facts? Is it Hamas, as we would like to believe, who are continuing to cynically exploit the hostages with no intention of ever releasing them, or has Netanyahu’s determination for “total victory” blinded him to the advice that seasoned security professionals are providing?
After more than 300 days in captivity, the hostages – and their families – deserve straightforward answers as to who – or what – is holding up a deal.
So do the rest of us.