After nearly nine months of war in Gaza and Israel, could an end be in sight? Perhaps, although it would require Hamas to stick to a concession it apparently offered during the most recent round of talks in Doha.
Until now, Hamas has refused to enter into any hostage-exchange agreement with Israel without a commitment to end the war. With the Rafah operation all but finished and Hamas’ supply lines shut down, however, the IDF has largely mooted that issue. Their leadership in Qatar has apparently decided to cut bait and get some breathing room for what’s left of the organization in Gaza. And the Israelis want to put an end to the fighting for their own reasons:
Mossad officials told the countries mediating talks that they were optimistic that the Israeli cabinet would accept the most recent proposal, an official familiar with the negotiations told the Wall Street Journal.
Netanyahu…
