After a Hamas source told Reuters that the terror organization had approved a list of 34 hostages to be released, i24NEWS correspondent Zvi Yehezkeli elaborated on what could sabotage the deal this time and how much the arrangement was in Israel's favor.
"We've been in this movie a few times. Since last November, we have seen that Hamas has deceived us at least five times," Yehezkeli began. "What's different now is that maybe now that Hamas knows that Israel is going to concentrate military pressure in the Gaza Strip, they are afraid."
He continued: "Even the civilians in the tents know that this can really change the situation, and Hamas is currently showing some kind of flexibility. We're here because Hamas is starting to show some kind of pressure, whether it's because Trump entered the White House, or because he knows that Israel, with this tailwind of everything that happened in Lebanon and Syria, wants to enter the Gaza Strip."
"The story now is military pressure, and the pressure is stressing it [Hamas]." Regarding the deal, he said: "We can defend this deal. We heard it in the Shalit deal and we heard it in the last deal in November, and we saw that terrorists who were released from Judea and Samaria took part in the attacks. I don't know if I could trust and sleep peacefully that the security establishment can protect us."
"For this deal at the moment, I think, perhaps for the first time in recent months in Israel, there is momentum that Israel can still put pressure on Hamas and not make concessions. Philadelphi and the Netzarim corridor are painful concessions with strategic problems for the future. It's a deal that's not good for us," he went on to say.
Yehezkeli concluded: "I know that Israel insists on removing the terrorists from Judea and Samaria in order to defend this agreement later. If Israel gives up Netzarim and Philadelphi, and leaves Hamas in power in Gaza with humanitarian aid and some of the abductees in the future, the story of Hamas will not be over."
* Maariv contributed to this story.
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