US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is soon to leave his post, spoke in an interview with The New York Times about the obstacles that arose on the way to concluding a deal with Hamas.
According to him, the liquidation of Hamas leader Yahya Sinouar dealt a blow to negotiations on the exchange of prisoners. Sinouar was in fact the only decision-maker, and after his liquidation it suddenly turned out that there was no one to make decisions in Hamas.
Blinken stressed that Hamas has time and again failed to follow through. At the same time, there were cases when Israeli actions complicated the situation, “but the Israelis had rational reasons for this.”
“We were close to reaching an agreement, and even today we are very close,” Blinken said.
“There were two main obstacles, both related to Hamas. First, every time there was a feeling that pressure on Israel was increasing, Hamas refused to cease fire and release the hostages. Second, Hamas hoped that the conflict would become bigger picture, that Hezbollah attacks Israel, that Iran attacks Israel, that other players attack Israel, and then Hamas can continue what it started,” Blinken said.