Hamas cuts off negotiations as Palestinian Islamic Jihad release hostage video
The move to end dialogue came after multiple countries expressed their intention to recognise a Palestinian state
Hamas has reportedly cut off all negotiations with Israel and the United States, with Israeli media reports suggesting that Israel and the US have agreed that as a result any agreement for a partial release of hostages could no longer be on the table.
An Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post that “it now seems that an expanded military operation in Gaza is inevitable”. A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy Steve Witkoff had reportedly left the US and Israel on the same page – the aim now being to eliminate Hamas, demilitarize the Gaza Strip and bring all the hostages home.
Hamas’s move to end negotiations has come after a number of countries – including France, Canada and the UK – expressed their intention to recognise a Palestinian state in the coming months. In particular, the UK’s announcement included the threat that such recognition would be forthcoming if Israel failed to reach a ceasefire deal.
The news of Hamas cutting ties came as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another terror group operating in Gaza, released video footage of Rom Braslavski, one of the hostages the group took captive on 7 October. In the clip, a skeletal Braslavski can be seen weeping as he says “I have no food and nothing to drink, from morning to night. I endure unbearable suffering that physically looks very bad. I can’t see and I’ve got pain in my hands and feet. I can’t stand or go to the bathroom on my own. I’m struggling to breathe. I can’t stay alive. Please, you must get me.”
Speaking to Israel’s Ynet news site, Braslavski’s mother Tami said: “They broke my boy. I want him home now. I know how many beatings he is taking. I know because Rom doesn’t cry. If he cries, it is because they are abusing him. Look at him. Thin, limp, crying. All his bones are out.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed that the video was filmed earlier in July, and that the terror group has since lost contact with those holding the Israeli hostage.
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