Almost a year into the chaotic Israel-Hamas war, the Biden administration is privately wondering if Hamas even wants a ceasefire deal given the terror group’s recent actions and stubbornness in negotiations, according to U.S. officials who spoke to Axios.
Hamas killed 1,200 people in an invasion against Israel on Oct. 7 and has since been embroiled in a war in the Gaza Strip. Though the U.S. and its Arab partners have spent months trying to secure a ceasefire deal, Hamas’ rejection of multiple proposals and murder of six hostages — including one American — that were discovered over the weekend is raising questions within the Biden administration about whether a deal is even possible anymore, the officials told Axios.
“We still think the deal is the only way to save the lives of the hostages and stop the war. But the executions not only increased our sense of urgency but also called into question Hamas’ willingness to do a deal of any kind,” one U.S. official told Axios.
The question of Hamas’ seriousness toward a deal was brought up during a meeting in the White House situation room with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and top national security advisers, who were stunned at Hamas’ decision to kill six of the hostages, according to Axios. The topic of whether or not Hamas would agree to a deal even if Israel withdrew forces from the Egypt-Gaza border — one of the largest sticking points of the proposal — was also raised during the meeting.
Officials present in the meeting brought up concerns that if Hamas chose not to agree to a deal even if the U.S. pressured Israel to withdraw forces from the border, it could set a precedent that gives Hamas more leverage in negotiations, one U.S. official told Axios. Another issue is Hamas’ new demands for a deal, which include the release of a substantial number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, which officials wondered was a sign that a deal was out of reach, a U.S. official said.
The takeaway from the meeting was that the U.S. should focus on pressuring Hamas and ensuring that any sort of deal doesn’t offer concessions to the terrorist group, U.S. officials told Axios.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told the families of the American hostages on Sunday that Biden is weighing presenting a new and final proposal, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Axios, although the White House has not publicly said the next deal will be the last one. That proposal may be scratched altogether as the White House has become less optimistic about it in recent days, according to Axios.
There are ongoing disputes in Israel, the U.S. and the West more broadly as to whether Israel should end the war now, given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, or continue pursuing Hamas until it is totally crippled. Hamas has been obstinate in negotiations for a ceasefire agreement and has rejected several previous proposals, even as it has been largely incapacitated by Israeli forces.
Hamas’ most recent demands for a deal created a “very frustrating process” during negotiations last week, one U.S. official told Axios. “Hamas presented demands that were different from what was agreed on in the past.”
The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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