The Jerusalem Post on Sunday reported that the U.S. Trump administration has asked the Israeli government to delay a planned major Gaza ground operation against Hamas due to ongoing hostage deal negotiations. Two unnamed sources familiar with the issue reportedly told the news outlet that the U.S. government seeks to exhaust all diplomatic efforts to release more hostages ahead of the major IDF operation.
The Israeli government greenlighted earlier this month “Gideon’s Chariots,” a major new IDF military offensive, which aims to defeat Hamas as a military and political force and secure the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Unlike previous IDF operations, the new large ground operation envisions that IDF soldiers will keep the conquered areas of Gaza until Hamas is defeated, and the war has ended.
Israeli forces are already engaged in combat against Hamas operatives across the Gaza Strip.
“Once the maneuver begins, we will act with full force and will not stop until all objectives are achieved,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a few days ago.
Washington is reportedly concerned that the planned major IDF ground operation will complicate efforts to secure the release of hostages through diplomatic channels.
Hamas, which initiated the war through its lethal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, is severely weakened and demands an end to the war. Hamas, which seeks to survive, has reportedly demanded American guarantees that the war will end.
The Israeli government has vowed to continue the military operations until Hamas is defeated and the hostages have returned home. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out a new temporary ceasefire if it facilitates the return of hostages.
“If there’s an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire to bring back hostages, we are prepared for that,” Netanyahu announced on Wednesday.
Hamas released earlier this month Edan Alexander, a dual American and Israeli citizen, after 584 days in difficult captivity in Gaza. Alexander, who served in the IDF when he was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, was reportedly released as a “goodwill gesture” towards U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently visited the region with stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Alexander, who suffered severe torture in Hamas captivity, is the last living American national to be released from Gaza. Hamas and its allies still hold 58 hostages. While it is unclear how many of them are still alive, Israeli and U.S. sources believe that at least 20 hostages are still alive.
The Israeli government has stressed that one major objective with the military offensive is to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages. Jerusalem has at the same time announced that it is committed to the “Witkoff framework,” which has been proposed by Trump’s senior envoy Steve Witkoff. The framework reportedly suggests the release of 10 hostages during a 60-day ceasefire. Israeli sources recently assessed that “It’s deadlocked,” due to Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages in exchange for a temporary truce.
Informed sources have linked Hamas’s intransigence in the negotiations to Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of the late Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar and the de facto Hamas leader in Gaza.
On May 13, Mohammed Sinwar was reportedly killed in an Israeli aerial strike on an underground Hamas compound below the European Hospital in Gaza. Sinwar’s body and the bodies of other senior Hamas officials were reportedly discovered in a Khan Younis tunnel, according to a Saudi news report.
Some Israeli officials are cautiously optimistic that the removal of Sinwar could potentially facilitate the release of the remaining hostages.
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The Israeli government greenlighted earlier this month “Gideon’s Chariots,” a major new IDF military offensive, which aims to defeat Hamas as a military and political force and secure the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Unlike previous IDF operations, the new large ground operation envisions that IDF soldiers will keep the conquered areas of Gaza until Hamas is defeated, and the war has ended.
Israeli forces are already engaged in combat against Hamas operatives across the Gaza Strip.
“Once the maneuver begins, we will act with full force and will not stop until all objectives are achieved,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a few days ago.
Washington is reportedly concerned that the planned major IDF ground operation will complicate efforts to secure the release of hostages through diplomatic channels.
Hamas, which initiated the war through its lethal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, is severely weakened and demands an end to the war. Hamas, which seeks to survive, has reportedly demanded American guarantees that the war will end.
The Israeli government has vowed to continue the military operations until Hamas is defeated and the hostages have returned home. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out a new temporary ceasefire if it facilitates the return of hostages.
“If there’s an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire to bring back hostages, we are prepared for that,” Netanyahu announced on Wednesday.
Hamas released earlier this month Edan Alexander, a dual American and Israeli citizen, after 584 days in difficult captivity in Gaza. Alexander, who served in the IDF when he was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, was reportedly released as a “goodwill gesture” towards U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently visited the region with stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Alexander, who suffered severe torture in Hamas captivity, is the last living American national to be released from Gaza. Hamas and its allies still hold 58 hostages. While it is unclear how many of them are still alive, Israeli and U.S. sources believe that at least 20 hostages are still alive.
The Israeli government has stressed that one major objective with the military offensive is to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages. Jerusalem has at the same time announced that it is committed to the “Witkoff framework,” which has been proposed by Trump’s senior envoy Steve Witkoff. The framework reportedly suggests the release of 10 hostages during a 60-day ceasefire. Israeli sources recently assessed that “It’s deadlocked,” due to Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages in exchange for a temporary truce.
Informed sources have linked Hamas’s intransigence in the negotiations to Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of the late Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar and the de facto Hamas leader in Gaza.
On May 13, Mohammed Sinwar was reportedly killed in an Israeli aerial strike on an underground Hamas compound below the European Hospital in Gaza. Sinwar’s body and the bodies of other senior Hamas officials were reportedly discovered in a Khan Younis tunnel, according to a Saudi news report.
Some Israeli officials are cautiously optimistic that the removal of Sinwar could potentially facilitate the release of the remaining hostages.
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