Hamas has a new head….
Could he actually move negotiate his organiztion into a ‘deal’ with Israel that would hold and have his people give up their weapons as the Trump admin would like?
One finds this senario wishful thinking….
As the United States presses for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the militant group’s decision will largely hinge on its new de facto leader in Gaza.
The commander, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, took over the military wing in Gaza after Israeli forces killed Muhammad Sinwar, according to a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official and three Israeli defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to divulge sensitive details. On Thursday, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the Israeli military’s spokesman, said that Mr. al-Haddad was Hamas’s new leader.
Mr. al-Haddad, who is in his mid-50s, helped plan the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the officials said.
He is believed to be in firm opposition to Israeli efforts to dislodge Hamas from power, suggesting that he could block any push to release all remaining hostages before a total end to the war in Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli troops….
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As of Thursday, Hamas leaders were deliberating whether to agree to the proposal.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, did not respond to a request for comment.
The primary obstacle to getting a deal between Hamas and Israel has been the permanence of any cease-fire. Hamas has insisted on a lasting end to the war in Gaza. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that Hamas’s military and governing capabilities must first be dismantled….
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Where Do Israel-Hamas Truce Negotiations Stand?
Israelis and Palestinians waited anxiously on Thursday as Hamas deliberated on whether to accept the latest proposal for a 60-day cease-fire in the Gaza war and the release of hostages.
A critical question was whether Hamas has determined that it has sufficient guarantees that the revised plan will eventually lead to a permanent end of the nearly two-year-old war, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
Hamas has insisted that any cease-fire plan must pave a path to a complete and lasting cessation of hostilities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has insisted on a temporary cease-fire only until Hamas’s military wing and government are dismantled.
“Hamas’s focus is on ending the war,” said Hussam Dajani, a Palestinian political analyst from Gaza.
A reply from Hamas could come between Thursday and Friday, according to an Israeli official and an official from a mediating country, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to share sensitive information.
Even if Hamas accepts the latest proposal, both sides would likely still need time to negotiate the details before a cease-fire takes effect….
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