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American Negotiators Believe Hamas Has No Intention of Reaching a Hostage Deal

(New York Times) Julian E. Barnes - U.S. officials say Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is determined to see Israel embroiled in a wider regional conflict. According to U.S. intelligence assessments, Sinwar has long believed he will not survive the war, a view that has hindered negotiations to secure the release of hostages seized by his group on Oct. 7. His attitude has hardened in recent weeks, U.S. officials say, and American negotiators now believe that Hamas has no intention of reaching a deal with Israel. Hamas has shown no desire at all to engage in talks in recent weeks, U.S. officials say. In Sinwar's assessment, a larger war that puts pressure on Israel would force it to scale back operations in Gaza, the U.S. officials said. The war in the region has widened, but not in ways that have meaningfully benefited Hamas. The failure of Hizbullah or Iran to meaningfully damage Israel is a telling sign of Sinwar's miscalculation, American officials said. A senior U.S. official said Iran's actions over the past few months had sent a clear message to Sinwar: "The cavalry is not coming."
2024-10-06 00:00:00
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