Israel Wrangling over hostage deal before Trump's swearing-in
A few days before Donald Trump's inauguration in the USA, the future president's deputy has threatened the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas with serious consequences. If the Islamists refuse to make a deal with Israel and do not release all hostages held by them before Trump's inauguration on January 20, the next US administration will take drastic steps, promised Trump's designated deputy J.D. Vance. Both he and the outgoing US President's National Security Advisor Joe Biden expressed hope that a breakthrough could be achieved this week.
13.01.2025, 05:44
SDA
Trump reiterated last week that "all hell will break loose" in the Middle East if the hostages are not back home by the time he takes office, "and that will not be good for Hamas, and frankly, it will not be good for anybody".
"Very aggressive sanctions and financial penalties"
Vance has now been asked by the conservative US television channel Fox News what exactly Trump meant by this. His answer: "It means enabling the Israelis to take out the last battalions of Hamas and its leadership. It means very aggressive sanctions and financial penalties for all those who support terrorist organizations in the Middle East. It means actually doing the job of American leadership" - just as Trump did in his first term from 2017 to 2021.
According to Vance, the Trump camp is "hopeful that a deal will be struck at the very end of Biden's administration, perhaps on the last or penultimate day". Whatever this deal looks like, it will be due to the fact that "people are terrified that there will be consequences for Hamas," says the Republican.
Security advisor Sullivan: "We are very, very close"
Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had expressed cautious optimism over the weekend about a possible deal for a ceasefire and hostage release. "We are very, very close," Sullivan told the US television station CNN. "We remain determined to use every day we are in office to bring this thing to a conclusion." However, it is also possible that Hamas in particular will not move in the end, "as has happened so many times before" - and that no deal will be reached before the transfer of power on January 20.
Trump's security advisor Mike Waltz said in an interview with ABC News that a quick agreement was in the interests of the Palestinian organization. Any deal after Trump takes office will "only turn out worse" for the now "completely isolated" Hamas than what is currently on the table.
Biden talks with Netanyahu - negotiations in Doha
Outgoing US President Biden seems determined to achieve a ceasefire in the devastating Gaza war and a deal for the release of Hamas hostages before the end of his term of office. In a conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, he also urged the Israeli Prime Minister to increase humanitarian aid, the White House announced. According to his office, Netanyahu mentioned "progress" in the negotiations on the release of the hostages and informed Biden of the mandate he had given his negotiators for their talks in Qatar and a possible deal with Hamas.
A high-ranking Israeli delegation had previously arrived in the Qatari capital Doha for new talks. Negotiating circles reported that the head of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, were also present this time.
The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, in which Egypt and the USA are mediating alongside Qatar, are primarily about a ceasefire and an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for the Hamas hostages who are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Hostage relatives see "historic opportunity"
The Forum of Hostage Families spoke of a "historic opportunity" to secure the release of the abductees. At the weekend, thousands of Israelis once again demonstrated for an end to the war and the release of the hostages. However, critics accuse Netanyahu of having no interest in a deal with Hamas because his ultra-right coalition partners insist on the complete destruction of the Islamist terrorist organization - and his political survival depends on them.
Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others abducted in the Gaza Strip during the attack by Hamas and allied terrorists on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. There are now 98 hostages still in the coastal area, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Among the hostages are four Israelis who have been held by Hamas for a decade - including two soldiers who have been killed and whose only remaining issue is the transfer of their remains. Of the 94 people kidnapped on October 7, 2023, 81 are men, 11 women and 2 children under the age of five, according to Israeli figures. Several of the hostages have German citizenship.
Will Hamas give in?
Israeli expert Avi Melamed assumes that Trump's dramatic rhetoric will have little effect on Hamas, as the organization has already suffered serious setbacks in the Gaza war. However, Trump could exert diplomatic pressure on countries such as Turkey and Arab states that harbor Hamas leaders. He could also advocate for a multinational Arab force, together with a reformed Palestinian Authority, to ensure security in the Gaza Strip after the war. "The key to weakening Hamas is to completely destroy their hopes of returning to political control in Gaza," Melamed wrote.
