Israeli is holding up on the release of 600+ release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees…..
Hamas hostage shows seems to be pushing things to a place where Israel simply CAN NOT deal with that show put on against them….
Hostage’s or NOT….
Israel and Hamas on Sunday accused each other of violating the already fragile Gaza cease-fire deal after Israel delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be exchanged for hostages.
The office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the prisoners would not be freed until the release of further hostages “has been assured,” and Hamas committed to letting them go without “humiliating ceremonies.”
The growing tensions come after a week of mutual recriminations and strained nerves on both sides. The delay raised more questions about the future of the cease-fire for Gaza, with a temporary, six-week truce set to expire on March 1.
There is no clarity yet about a possible extension, or even whether serious negotiations have begun. Some members of Israel’s right-wing government are pressing for a resumption of the fighting after the initial phase of the cease-fire, which has provided a brief lull in the devastating war set off by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023….
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Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy on Sunday said the US expects the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal to go forward.
Steve Witkoff made the comment in a CNN interview when asked about Israel’s decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
“We have to get an extension of phase one,” Witkoff said. “I’ll be going to the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that.”
He said Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘well-motivated’ and Hamas cannot be part of any governance in Gaza, according to Reuters….
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A day after Hamas released six Israeli hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is prepared to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip “at any moment” while vowing to complete the war’s goals “whether through negotiation or by other means”.
“We are prepared to resume intense fighting at any moment,” Netanyahu said at a ceremony for combat officers, a day after Israel halted the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a truce deal.
“In Gaza, we have eliminated most of Hamas’s organised forces but let there be no doubt – we will complete the war’s objectives entirely.”
Earlier, Netanyahu’s Defence Minister Israel Katz also hinted that Israeli hawkishness is not limited to Gaza but the entire Middle East: “especially toward Syria,” he says.
“We have committed that we will not be able to return to the reality of October 7. There is a new policy in southern Syria. The IDF will not allow hostile forces to base themselves in the security zone in southern Syria, from here to the Suwayda-Damascus route, and we will act against any threat….
Israel is nervous about Iran trying to sneak back into Syria, which Isreal is now looking to fortify it’s Northern border against Syria in view of the Oct. 7 attacks…
Syria is just getting back on its feet after forner leaderAssad was sent packing and has not send a force to maintan security for the Israeli/Syria border ….
“Let it be clear — we will not allow HTS forces or the New Syrian Army to enter the area south of Damascus,” he said, referring to Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, the militant group presiding over Syria’s transition. “We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces from the forces of the new regime.”
In the months since rebels ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes in the country, targeting what it said were weapons stocks and military installations. It has also broken through what is known as the “Alpha line,” a decades-old ceasefire boundary between the two countries, and has established military positions inside a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone and, in some cases, beyond…
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On a visit to the area last month, Washington Post reporters found that the militant force that now controls the vast majority of Syria was noticeably absent from areas near the boundary. At the time, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said a unit of Syrian forces had been prepped to return to old regime positions in the area — some of which were then occupied by Israeli troops. He had said negotiations were ongoing through both the United Nations and United States to enable them to do so….
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Here’s what else to know
- A total of 251 people were taken by Hamas during its attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and 145 have been freed or rescued, according to The Post’s tracker. Of those in Hamas captivity, 79 are confirmed dead and 27 are believed to be alive, though Israel has not given the full basis for its estimates.
- The funeral for slain Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah was held in Beirut on Sunday. Israeli forces assassinated Nasrallah in late September in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to prepare for a “prolonged stay” in areas of the occupied West Bank for the next year. In a statement Sunday, his office said Israeli forces had displaced some 40,000 Palestinians from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur al-Shams refugee camps since the start of a major military operation last month….
Note….
I could be wrong But?
I do NOT think the cease-fire will be over…
And Israel goes Hamas hunting in Gaza with a half a million people back there….
Of course Hamas seems to be gambling on the same thing…
This IS cementing the requirement that Hamas lays down it’s arms in anylong term solution…..
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