Left-wing groups in Israel have been protesting in the streets for weeks, calling for a hostage deal “at all costs” and accusing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of sabotaging proposed deals.

Hamas leaders, who closely monitor events in Israel, know exactly how to fire up the Israeli left. On Monday, the terror group accused Netanyahu of torpedoing the talks. Hamas was only repeating the same statements made by left-wing politicians and media outlets, including Channel 12 News, which recently quoted two security sources who claimed that Netanyahu is trying to torpedo the talks.

But apparently, there are some left-wing reporters who still know how to think for themselves, and on Tuesday, Channel 12 News reporter Yaron Avraham explained the Hamas condition in the US-mediated hostage deal that will leave most of the hostages in captivity for the unforeseen future.

Avraham explained that despite the tension between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, they agree on one thing – the issue in the US-backed proposal between phases one and two.

During phase one, a six-week ceasefire is to be implemented during which only certain categories of hostages will be released – the elderly, ill, and female hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists. Sadly, there are only 20 live hostages who fall into this category.

During that period, further negotiations will take place for the release of the male hostages, of whom about 60 are believed to be still alive. This is the problematic phase during which, as Avraham put it “the negotiations will stretch like chewing gum without any possibility of returning to fighting – Netanyahu and Gallant both absolutely agree on this.”

It should be noted that the negotiations will be extremely difficult, involving the release of hundreds of murderous terrorists and Hamas will insist on the release of leaders such as Abdullah Barghouti, a former Hamas commander [and relative of Marwan Barghouti] who is currently serving the longest sentence in Israeli history for his involvement in multiple terror attacks during the Second Intifada. On Monday, Yossi Amrosi, a former senior Shin Bet official, warned about the danger of releasing Barghouti. “If you release Abdullah Barghouti, who is serving 66 life sentences, you are releasing the next Yahya Sinwar,” Amrosi told Radio 103FM.

“If we continue the negotiations and don’t reach agreements, most of our hostages remain in the hands of Hamas,” Avraham continued. “Additionally, our international legitimacy will be at zero because the US will be a guarantor that the negotiations must continue.”

“Therefore, Israel cannot agree to this condition,” Avraham asserted. “On one hand, there is ‘progress’ – Hamas is saying, ‘I’m not demanding an early end to the war,’ but I have to say honestly, Yahya Sinwar is carrying out a very sophisticated act, attacking the problem from the other side – binding Israel to a very problematic place.”

It should be noted that the “progress” that Avraham referred to has already been reversed.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)