Hamas demands full IDF withdrawal from Gaza before releasing hostages

By World Israel News Staff

Hamas officials say they will only accept the version of the hostage deal currently being negotiated if Israeli forces fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network.

The demand for withdrawal includes the Netzarim Corridor and the Philadelphi Corridor.

Ma’ariv reported last week that Israel had agreed to conditions concerning the Philadelphi Corridor without explicitly defining those conditions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized the importance of Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor after the war to prevent the smuggling of weapons through Egypt into Gaza.

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Kan reported an Israeli official stated the intention of creating a buffer zone that would allow Israel’s military to exit and leave the area for security purposes following the Rafah operation.

A source also stated that Hamas refuses to accept any hostage release agreement that didn’t include a commitment to a complete and permanent ceasefire.

At the beginning of the current round of negotiations, Hamas indicated it would relax the requirement that Israel commit to a ceasefire before the beginning of the first phase of the hostage deal and that such a commitment could be made before the beginning of the second phase.

Al-Mayadeen also reported that Hamas said it would be willing to govern Gaza, failing a consensus on the government of the Gaza Strip.

During his visit to the US, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that a hostage deal with the Hamas terror organization may be in the offing, telling relatives of captives held in the Gaza Strip that conditions are “ripening” for an agreement.

“We are determined to return them all. The conditions for returning them are becoming ripe, for the simple reason that we are putting very strong pressure on Hamas. We see a certain change, and I think that this change will increase. We intend to do this – this is an objective of the war,” he said.

Netanyahu added, “I am not prepared in any way to give in on the victory over Hamas. If we give up on this, we will be in danger in the face of Iran’s entire axis of evil. The decisions that we make are fateful decisions for the future of the State of Israel and the Zionist enterprise.”