Hamas Refuses Israel's New Demands for Release of 33 Hostages

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has reached a critical juncture as new negotiations unfold in Qatar.

On August 15, 2024, Hamas firmly rejected any new conditions for a ceasefire or the release of hostages, emphasizing that further talks are unnecessary.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan stated, "We in the Hamas movement do not see the need for a new agreement," and urged the U.S. to pressure Israel into accepting the proposal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden a few months ago.

Hamas has accused Israel of attempting to secure the release of 33 hostages, which include women, children, and elderly or sick individuals, as a condition for any agreement.

According to Israeli calculations, Hamas still holds 115 hostages, with 41 declared dead and others presumed dead. The Israeli Yediot Ahronoth newspaper reported that Israel provided representatives with a list of these 33 names.

The negotiations, involving high-profile mediators such as CIA chief William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, are seen as pivotal in attempts to establish a ceasefire and facilitate a hostage exchange amid the Gaza conflict.

These discussions are crucial not only for the immediate goal of securing a ceasefire but also to prevent a significant retaliatory strike by Iran against Israel, which could escalate the war further.

Hamdan criticized the U.S. for failing to exert sufficient pressure on Israel, stating, "In spite of efforts by Qatar and Egypt, the U.S. administration, while it made commitments and pledges, could not succeed or perhaps did not want to in pressuring the occupation to abide by the initiatives it presented."

He also accused Israel of obstructing the negotiation process by sending unauthorized delegations, setting new conditions, and refusing to withdraw from strategic locations like the Philadelphi corridor and the Rafah crossing.