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Dissolving Hamas’ military, forming sovereign Palestinian state would bring ‘change’ – expert
Hamas, through a senior official, stated its readiness to enter a cease-fire of five years or more with Israel and transition into a political entity if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. The official, Khalil al-Hayya, considered Sinwar’s right hand, expressed these views during a recent interview amidst stalled cease-fire negotiations.
Dr. Ghassan Khatib, a lecturer at Birzeit’s University and former minister of labor for the Palestinian Authority, provided his perspective to The Media Line. “It’s worth waiting to see if this statement reflects a significant shift,” he noted, highlighting a common inconsistency between individual remarks by Hamas leaders and the group’s official stance.
Dr. Khatib further explained the internal dynamics within Hamas: “The statement can also reflect dissent and the debate within Hamas. Different leaders have different views, but it could also be a tactic, considering the imminent threat of the Israeli army to enter Rafah.”
He added that while the promise to dissolve the military wing and pursue a sovereign state was notable, “Hamas being willing to put its guns down isn’t something you hear every day. Dissolving the military wing of Hamas and falling in line with a Sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 borders would bring a powerful change.”
“Whatever the reasons they make this statement now, it’s important to dialogue with Hamas because they are a very relevant part of Palestinian internal politics. Whether the Israelis like it or not, that’s the fact. Even if the statement made by Al-Hayya has conditions unlikely to be accepted by Israel, it is important to continue the dialogue, and this is also true for America and other Western countries,” he concluded.
Natural skepticism
While Dr. Khatib emphasizes the importance of dialogue with Hamas despite skepticism about their intentions, some suggest a more cautious perspective, questioning the sincerity of Hamas’ statements and suggesting that their motives may be influenced by the immediate threat of Israeli military action.
Chuck Freilich, former deputy national security adviser and senior fellow in INSS, told The Media Line, “Hamas is aware of its imminent demise if the IDF enters Rafah. Making remarkable statements, such as the one made by Al-Hayya, gives them more time and feeds into the narrative believed by their supporters worldwide. Still, Israeli leaders should pursue this dialogue in the future if we have a different government.”
“If this statement made by Al-Hayya is serious, then they should be open to dialogue after the Israeli conducts its plans to go into Rafah. It’s doubtful that Israel would entertain such dialogue, as it remains committed to dismantling Hamas. After Hamas is removed from Rafah, then the Palestinians should announce an initiative with their top leaders or with a formal declaration,” concluded Chuck Freilich.
While Hamas has previously maintained a hardline stance against Israel, this shift towards a potential two-state solution represents a notable concession. However, it remains unclear if this signifies a permanent resolution to the conflict or merely an interim step toward Hamas’ longstanding goal of Israel’s destruction.
Israel nor the Palestinian Authority have yet to comment.
Israel’s political echelon, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the IDF to prepare for an “immediate” return to fighting in Gaza, KAN News reported on Friday evening.
The Jerusalem Post reported earlier this week that Israeli officials estimated that if no agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, Israel would return to fighting in Gaza in about a week and a half.
“Hamas is currently rejecting [US Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff’s proposal, so it is very difficult to make progress,” one official said.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Witkoff’s plan involves the release of half of the living hostages and the return of half of the bodies on the first day of the continued deal. The rest of the hostages and bodies would be returned on the 42nd day, which would be the final day of the ceasefire.However, some claim that the terrorist organization has not rejected the proposal. According to a source familiar with the negotiations, “Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected the Witkoff proposal.”
Eyal Zamir to Gaza border community heads: We’re preparing to fight
On his first day as the new IDF chief of staff on Thursday, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told heads of local councils from the Gaza border communities that “we are preparing to return to fighting” in Gaza.
“We must defeat Hamas,” Zamir said. “We are also preparing to resume fighting. The hostages are our top priority.”
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
Negotiations over the continued release of hostages held in Gaza have stalled, and “right now there is nothing happening,” sources familiar with details of the talks admitted in conversation with The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
“Right now, there’s nothing happening,” an Israeli official told the Post, adding that “Hamas is currently rejecting the Witkoff proposal, so it is very difficult to make progress.”
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the Witkoff plan involves the release of half of the living hostages and the return of half of the bodies on the first day of the deal. The second half of the hostages and bodies would be returned on the 42nd day, which would be the final day of the ceasefire.
On the other hand, some claim that Hamas has not rejected the proposal. “Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected the Witkoff proposal,” said a source with knowledge of the negotiations with the Post.“Hamas has said it is willing to negotiate and has not rejected the plan. Since Israel currently states that this is the proposal on the table, from Israel’s perspective, Hamas has rejected it.”
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff not expected to visit Israel soon, source says
An Israeli source told the Post that there is no expectation for Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to visit the region at the moment, adding, “He will only come to finalize a deal. And since there is no real progress right now, it is unclear when or if he will arrive.”
Without an agreement on the release of additional hostages in the coming days, Israeli sources say Israel is preparing to escalate its actions against Hamas. After the decision on Sunday to stop humanitarian aid, Israel is preparing to cut off water and electricity to the Gaza Strip, as well as resume fighting – some say this might happen, without a deal, as early as next week.
Israeli officials suggest that even without accepting the Witkoff initiative, Hamas might agree to release additional hostages in the near future in exchange for the release of terrorists from prison and the entry of caravans and humanitarian aid, but they add that this also depends on other issues.
“The Israeli government needs to decide what will be negotiated with Hamas and what they will receive in exchange for the release of hostages in the coming weeks,” said an Israeli source. “Hamas’s agreement to release more hostages depends on the answers to these questions.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Israel responded to the mediators’ request to allow a few more days of negotiations. Katz added,d “If Hamas does not release the hostages soon, the gates of Gaza will be locked and the gates of hell will be opened – we will return to fighting, and they will face the IDF with forces and methods they have never encountered before.”
Israeli officials suggest that even without accepting the Witkoff initiative, Hamas might agree to release additional hostages in the near future in exchange for the release of terrorists from prison and the entry of caravans and humanitarian aid, but they add that this also depends on other issues. “The Israeli government needs to decide what will be negotiated with Hamas and what they will receive in exchange for the release of hostages in the coming weeks,” said an Israeli source. “Hamas’s agreement to release more hostages depends on the answers to these questions.”
No progress has been made in the ceasefire talks in Cairo, and Israel is reaching a dead end, a source familiar with the details of the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post Saturday.
There were lots of technical discussions but no results, the source added.
Israel and mediating countries believe that only the Trump administration can perhaps break the talks out of the impasse.
“When [US Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff arrives, things may happen. Everyone is waiting for him,” the source said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting on the hostage deal in the next several hours with senior officials and the negotiation team, an Israeli official told the Post.
Hamas refusing Israeli proposal to extend phase one of deal
Hamas is refusing the idea of extending the first phase of the deal, Israeli officials said.
The Israeli and Qatari delegations arrived in Cairo on Thursday. The delegation is led by Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Persons, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, as well as “M,” an anonymous officer from the Shin Bet. M is the former deputy of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who is reportedly no longer part of the hostage deal negotiating team.
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