Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Several officials in the Middle East and the United States believe that the level of devastation in the Gaza Strip caused by a nine-month Israeli offensive has likely helped push Hamas to soften its demands for a ceasefire agreement.
Over the weekend Hamas appeared to abandon its long-standing demand for Israel to promise to end the war as part of any ceasefire agreement. The sudden change has raised new hopes for progress in internationally negotiated negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted on Sunday that military pressure – including Israel’s current two-month offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah – “is what has led Hamas to enter into negotiations.” ”.
Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks the destruction of Israel and took control of Gaza in 2007, is highly secretive and little is known about its internal workings.
But in recent internal communications seen by The Associated Press, messages signed by several senior Hamas figures in Gaza urged the group’s exiled political leaders to accept the ceasefire proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The messages, shared by a Middle East official familiar with the ongoing negotiations, described the heavy losses Hamas has suffered on the battlefield and the dire conditions in the war-torn territory. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to share the content of Hamas’ internal communications.
It was not known whether this internal pressure was a factor in Hamas’ flexibility. But the messages indicate divisions within the group and a willingness among top militants to reach a deal quickly, even if Hamas’ top Gaza official, Yahya SinwarI may not be in a hurry. Sinwar has been in hiding since the war broke out last October and is believed to be hiding in a tunnel deep underground.
U.S. officials declined to comment on the communications.
But a person familiar with Western intelligence who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter said the group’s leadership understands that its forces have suffered heavy losses and that has helped Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement.
Two U.S. officials say Americans are aware of internal divisions within Hamas and that those divisions, the destruction in Gaza or pressure from mediators Egypt and Qatar could have been factors in the militant group softening its demands for a deal. The US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the Biden administration’s view of the current situation.
The Middle East official shared details of two internal Hamas communications, both written by senior officials inside Gaza to the group’s leaders exiled in Qatar, where Hamas supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh is based.
The communication suggested that the war had taken its toll on Hamas fighters, and senior figures urged the militant’s political wing abroad to accept the deal despite Sinwar’s reluctance.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha dismissed any suggestion of divisions within the group.
“The movement’s position is unified and crystallized through the leadership’s organizational framework,” he said.
The intelligence official showed the AP a transcript of the communications in Arabic, but declined to share specific details about how the information was obtained or the original form of the communications.
The official said the communications took place in May and June and came from several senior officials within the group’s military wing in Gaza.
The messages acknowledged the deaths of Hamas fighters and the level of devastation in the Gaza Strip caused by the Israeli campaign in the enclave. They also suggest that Sinwar is not fully aware of the cost of the fighting or does not fully communicate it to those negotiating outside the territory.
It was not known whether Haniyeh or other senior Qatari officials had responded.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the communications. Egypt and Qatar also had no immediate comment.
Egypt and Qatar have been working with the United States to negotiate a ceasefire and end the devastating nine-month war. After months of back-and-forth, talks resumed last week and are scheduled to continue in the coming days.
An agreement is not yet guaranteed. Netanyahu’s office announced over the weekend that “gaps still remain.” U.S. officials said they are cautiously optimistic about the prospects for a ceasefire based on the latest developments, but stressed that numerous efforts seemed promising but failed.
Still, the sides appear closer to an agreement than they have been in months.
Israel launched the war in gaza after the Hamas attack in October, in which militants swept into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. Israel says Hamas is still holding about 120 hostages, of whom About a third are believed to be dead.
Since then, the Israeli air and ground offensive has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The offensive has caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, according to international officials.
The war in Gaza has sparked international legal scrutiny of Israel’s conduct, including a case before the U.N.’s top court. under charges of genocide brought by South Africa and a request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who also sought injunctions for Hamas leaders.
Both Hamas and Egyptian officials confirmed Saturday that Hamas has dropped a key demand that Israel commit in advance to ending the war. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected this demand, leaving talks stalled for months.
Instead, the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said the gradual agreement would begin with a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas would free elderly, sick and female hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Talks on a broader agreement, including an end to the war, would only begin during this phase, they said.
Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until Israel destroys Hamas’s military and governance capabilities, even if the hostages are released.
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Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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