Hamas’s decision to kill the six Israeli hostages shortly before the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrived at their holding site has complicated negotiations for a ceasefire and prisoner swap between the group and Israel, the Washington Post reported, citing a senior Biden administration official. Three of the six hostages were on a list of prisoners to be released in the first phase of a proposed deal: two of them, Eden Yerushalmi and Carmel Gat, because they were women, and the third, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, because of an arm wound.
The official, calling the killings horrific, told the Post: “There is a list of hostages that we all know, including Hamas and the other parties involved. Now there are fewer names on that list. Hamas is threatening to carry out more hostage executions. We cannot ignore this in the context of what we are facing.” The proposed deal calls for three phases, with up to 20 live hostages released in exchange for hundreds of convicted terrorists. During the first phase, Israel would receive both live hostages and corpses that fall into the categories of women, children, elderly and wounded. However, all of the released terrorists would be alive. Hamas has refused to commit to releasing even 20 live hostages in the first phase, among the 101 alleged prisoners it is believed are still holding, dead or alive, in Gaza.
A U.S. official told The Washington Post that the main sticking points in the negotiations are which hostages will be released and when, as well as Israel’s presence along the Philadelphia Corridor. According to the Post, in the “take-it-or-leave-it” deal advanced by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, Gaza would receive a massive amount of humanitarian aid (much of which could be intercepted by Hamas), as well as a temporary ceasefire during which Israel would withdraw from “densely populated” areas.
The first phase of the agreement, expected to last at least six weeks, would involve negotiations to define the second phase, which would include the full withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and the release of the remaining hostages, dead or alive, in exchange for other convicted terrorists still alive. This phase could take place several months after the first, if Hamas drags out the negotiations, preventing Israel from resuming fighting. It would also leave Israel vulnerable to a repeat of the October 7, 2023 massacre, allowing Hamas to regain full control of Gaza, with the promise of carrying out more similar attacks.
The third phase of the agreement would involve rebuilding Gaza and establishing a supposed “civilian” government for the enclave, but would not include any measures to ensure Israel’s security or prevent further attacks by Hamas. However, despite disagreements over the Philadelphia Corridor, the official said, “nothing in the agreement explicitly refers to that area, nor does it specify what the term densely populated means.”
The official said there had been a discussion in recent weeks about whether the Philadelphia Corridor, which is essentially a road, “could be considered a densely populated area. There are areas where the city of Rafah extends along it. That was a crucial part of the negotiation about what constitutes a densely populated area and what does not.” He added: “I think what Israel put on the table a few weeks ago is a significant reduction in the forces that are in that area, and we have a map that sort of defines that. I think that’s in line with the agreement.”
He stressed, however, that if Israel “has to make adjustments on any issue to reach an agreement, and that is reasonable and does not compromise Israeli security, I think they should do so because without an agreement the war will not end and the hostages will not return home.”
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