Israeli officials think the US “feels helpless” against the Palestinian Hamas movement, which is putting pressure on Israel in the negotiations to cease hostilities in the Gaza Strip and release hostages, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Earlier, William Burns, the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who is actively involved in the Gaza talks as a mediator, stated that a new proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hostages is nearing completion, emphasizing that ending the conflict will require “some difficult decisions and political compromises” from both Israel and Hamas.
“It seems that Washington feels helpless against Hamas and is choosing to pressure Israel, which has already shown its willingness to make concessions to reach a deal,” a senior Israeli official told the publication.
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Furthermore, the Jerusalem Post reports that Israel believes the US is extremely interested in concluding the negotiations primarily due to the American hostages held by Hamas. According to Israeli officials, the killing of six Israeli hostages on September 3 “significantly changed the tone” of the negotiations.
“Now they (the US) are choosing to pressure Israel instead of putting pressure on Hamas,” the officials said.
The Gaza talks, mediated by intermediaries, have been ongoing in Cairo and Doha for several weeks, but no concrete progress or success has been reported. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the issue of control over the Philadelphia Corridor is far from the only obstacle to achieving an agreement, adding that there is no consensus on a single key point.
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According to him, the Palestinian Hamas movement initially rejected the American peace plan presented in May and submitted 29 amendments to it. Israel, on the other hand, fully endorsed the plan, which the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated.
On Thursday, the Hamas movement announced that it does not need new proposals for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that pressure should be put on Netanyahu to fulfill what has been agreed upon.
According to Israeli data, 101 people, including those considered dead, remain in Hamas captivity. A total of 154 people, including deceased hostages whose bodies were retrieved from the enclave, have been returned from Hamas captivity through various operations and humanitarian efforts.
