Published March 10, 2024
Israel’s spy agency, the Mossad, issued a joint statement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office Saturday saying Hamas had rejected a deal for a six-week ceasefire and hostage release, and wants more violence over Ramadan.
The rare statement by the Mossad appeared to be an effort to bolster the credibility of the statement, lest any statement by Netanyahu be perceived as political. The Mossad has been representing Israel in hostage talks.
The statement read:
Mossad Director David Barnea, yesterday (Friday, 8 March 2024), met with CIA Director William Burns in the framework of the relentless effort to advance an additional deal for the release of the hostages.
At this stage, Hamas is holding to its position as if it was uninterested in a deal and is striving to ignite the region during Ramadan at the expense of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip.
It should be emphasized that the contacts and cooperation with the mediators are ongoing in an effort to narrow the gaps and advance agreements.
Israel’s assessment matched recent statements by the Biden administration, which — despite pressuring Israel to accept a ceasefire — has admitted that Hamas is rejecting the proposed terms. The Wall Street Journal reported that even the Qatari government, which has hosted Hamas’s billionaire leaders in luxurious exile, has grown frustrated, threatening to expel the terrorist leadership from the capital city of Doha if no deal is reached for a pause in the fighting in Gaza.
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
RELATED: Mossad: Hamas toughening demands for hostage deal, seeks Ramadan escalation
Spy agency says chief met CIA counterpart to advance deal, adds talks persist despite difficulties; Qatar reportedly threatens to expel Hamas leaders if they don’t accept deal
A composite image of CIA Director William Burns, left, speaking at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, on July 8, 2022; Mossad Director David Barnea, right, speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, on September 10, 2023. (AP/Susan Walsh; Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Published March 10, 2024
The Mossad spy agency said Saturday that the Hamas terror group prefers an escalation of violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to a hostage deal, adding that Mossad chief David Barnea met CIA Director Bill Burns this weekend as part of efforts by mediators to reach a temporary truce.
In the rare statement, carried by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Mossad said Barnea met on Friday with his American counterpart, “as part of the ceaseless effort to advance another deal for the return of the hostages.” The meeting reportedly took place in Amman, Jordan.
“At this stage, Hamas is fortifying its position as if it is not interested in a deal, and it strives to ignite the region during Ramadan at the expense of the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip,” the Mossad said.
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
RELATED: Hamas Leaders Stick to Hard Line on Gaza Talks
With negotiations stalled, a senior Hamas official said in an interview that the group continues to insist Israel permanently halt the war
A Palestinian woman in a damaged building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah. PHOTO: SAID KHATIB/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
Published March 10, 2024
Hamas is sticking to demands for a permanent end to the Gaza war, a senior political official in the militant group said, showing that wide gaps with Israel remain as negotiators prepare to resume truce talks.
Unyielding positions by Israel and Hamas have caused negotiations to stall. Arab negotiators are meeting Sunday and planning to push for a much shorter cease-fire than discussed before—a two-day pause in fighting at the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is set to begin either Monday or Tuesday.
