Israel Rejects Hamas’s ‘Unrealistic’ Counteroffer on Hostages, but Talks Resume

Israel rejected a reported counteroffer by Hamas for a potential hostage deal on Thursday, but sent negotiators to Qatar to continue negotiations, as hope increased for an agreement that could lead to a temporary ceasefire in the near future.

According to the Times of Israel, Hamas offered to release female Israeli hostages, of whom there are thought to be over a dozen, along with elderly and ill hostages. In return, it demanded the release of 100 convicted Palestinian terrorists serving life sentences for the murder of Israelis, and an agreement by Israel to end the war for a second hostage release.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s demands: “Hamas is continuing to hold to unrealistic demands,” he said in a statement Thursday. Israel has long said that it will not end the war until Hamas’s military and governing capacity have been destroyed, and Netanyahu has refused to release Palestinian terrorists with Israeli blood on their hands.

However, the Times of Israel reported, Netanyahu has sent negotiators back to Qatar to continue talks.

Earlier this week, meeting with families of Israeli hostages, Netanyahu said that Qatar had begun to pressure Hamas to offer reasonable demands, confirming media reports that Qatar had threatened to expel Hamas leaders if they did not.

Meanwhile, Israel’s war cabinet approved plans for an attack on the last Hamas stronghold, in the town of Rafah. The plans include efforts to evacuate Palestinian civilians to “humanitarian islands” near the city for their safety.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.