Israel considering Hamas demand not to assassinate its senior officials – report

Israel is considering Hamas’s demand for a commitment not to assassinate the organization’s senior officials if they are exiled from the Gaza Strip, Kan reported Friday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated in November that he had told the Mossad “to act against the heads of Hamas wherever they are.”

Israel would agree to this in exchange for an agreement that would include the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the release of all the hostages, according to the Kan report.

Hamas is simultaneously demanding the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza.

The proposal is backed by the United States as part of the next phase of a hostage deal in which Hamas would release 40 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire.

An Israeli senior official told Kan that an offer is being considered, “including a commitment not to harm the exiled senior officials.”

Deals on the table
During the hostage negotiations, Hamas officials said they would only release the remaining hostages in Gaza as part of a ceasefire. Netanyahu has said that he will not accept any deal that would leave Hamas in control of Gaza.

One recent framework for a proposed deal was a phased release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, with the goal of a ceasefire, a senior Western diplomat and a regional diplomat told The New York Times.

Israeli officials have suggested they might consider a permanent ceasefire if Hamas’s Gaza leadership leaves the Strip and goes into exile, the two diplomats told the NYT.

Hamas officials have rejected leaving the Strip, according to the report. “Hamas and its leaders are on their land in Gaza,” Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in a text message. “We won’t leave.”

An Israeli delegation is in Qatar for hostage negotiations and has agreed to an American compromise on the number of Palestinian prisoners who will be swapped for each Israeli hostage. They are waiting for a response from Hamas, Israeli media reported Saturday night.

Source » jpost.com