The recent rescue of four hostages will likely complicate Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s efforts to broker a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would guarantee the release of the remaining captives in Gaza, a senior administration official told NBC News.
The release of the hostages reinforced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to continue pursuing military operations rather than agreeing to a ceasefire, the official told NBC News. And Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, who has resisted despite intense pressure from Qatar and Egypt for an agreement, could adopt an even tougher stance given the high number of Palestinian civilian casualties resulting from the Israeli rescue operation.
The senior official said some of the civilian casualties died in the crossfire of Hamas fighters responding to the Israeli operation. A second officer said Hamas is ultimately responsible for the deaths of Palestinians by hiding hostages in densely populated areas.
He added that while the release of the four Israeli hostages is welcome news, it will not change the status quo because there remain a significant number of hostages, including five Americans believed to be alive.
There are also three American hostages who were killed and whose families demand the return of their remains.
Another complication for the diplomatic effort is the dismissal, on Sunday, of the centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, retired general Benny Gantz.
In resigning, Gantz accused Netanyahu of mismanaging the war and refusing to agree on what will happen to Gaza after hostilities end. Biden The administration tried to persuade Gantz not to resign because his absence would only strengthen Netanyahu’s ties with the far-right members of his coalition.
On his return to the region on Monday — his eighth since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel — aides say Blinken will also focus on the desperate need to get more aid to Gaza. Israel closed access to the Rafah crossing on May 6, before launching a new round of military operations there, making aid deliveries too dangerous.
Egypt, Israel’s oldest Arab ally, has also protested Israel’s military operations in a border area between the two countries known as the Philadelphia Corridor. All of this will be on Blinken’s agenda when he meets with Egyptian President al-Sisi on Monday before heading to Israel later in the day.
Over the past six months, the Secretary of State has been working intensely on a so-called day after plan for Israel to eventually withdraw from Gaza and hand over security to a reformed Palestinian authority, with Arab leaders then promising to help finance post-war reconstruction. .
But with both sides fighting a ceasefire agreement and protests over the horrific death toll from this weekend’s shootout between Israel and Hamas, the chances of reaching a deal soon may be dwindling. .
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
