War of Iron Swords: The families of the American hostages held by Hamas are pressing the White House to seriously consider a unilateral deal with the terrorist organization to release their loved ones, and now the possibility is being discussed in the administration of the President of the United States Joe Biden according to five sources familiar with the talks.
In a meeting held on Sunday with the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan after Hamas murdered six hostages, including the American Hersh Goldberg-Poland relatives of American citizens still in captivity urged the administration to explore options that do not include Israel.
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Administration officials told the families they would consider “every option,” but a deal with Hamas that includes Israel is still considered the best approach, according to people familiar with the conversation. The discussions on a unilateral deal are taking place at a time when family members, and some government officials, increasingly believe that the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not agree to an agreement with Hamas that includes a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of the abductees, according to the people familiar with the discussions.
Four American hostages remain in the hands of Hamas, who the US believes are alive, and the administration is seeking to return the remains of three others who are believed to be dead. The idea of a unilateral deal was considered in the past, but did not move forward due to opposition from senior administration officials. President Biden chose Continue to try to reach a broader agreement that includes Israel and a roadmap to end the conflict.
However, as a sign that a one-sided deal was being scrutinized internally, the Biden administration prepared a list of US prisoners whose release may be of interest to Hamas as part of an agreement to release the kidnapped Americans. According to two former and two current US administration officials familiar with the planning, there are five people on the list.
An administration source said that the idea of a one-sided deal with Hamas is unrealistic because the US does not have enough to offer in exchange for the American hostages. “Hamas wants two things that only Israel can provide: a ceasefire and the nearly 1,000 Palestinian prisoners currently in Israeli prisons,” said the source .
White House spokesman John Kirby He said yesterday that Sullivan’s message to the families of the recently kidnapped Americans is “that we will continue to do everything we can to bring their loved ones home to where they belong.”
The US administration is also considering offering Israel and Hamas a “take it or leave it” deal that could take shape as early as this week, according to two people familiar with the discussions. In that case, if both sides reject it, it could lead to the end of the US-led negotiations, but the sources emphasized that no decision has yet been made regarding this approach.
On Monday, Biden told reporters that he was “very close” to presenting a final framework to the negotiating parties and predicted that a positive outcome was still possible. “Hope is eternal,” Biden said.