US President Donald Trump blamed Hamas on Friday for the collapse of Gaza ceasefire talks, even as he appeared to suggest that one of Hamas’s sticking points is true: that Israel would resume attacks after it retrieved the remaining captives in Gaza.
“Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Friday. “I think they want to die, and it’s very bad. It got to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job.”
One of the main obstacles to the Gaza ceasefire talks has been Hamas’s insistence that the release of captives in Gaza leads to a permanent end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected that, insisting that Hamas be fully destroyed - even after the captives are released.
I mean, if they know Israel will continue the attacks even if hostages are returned than what is the point in keeping the hostages? All that is doing is making you need to feed and care for them, even if minimally, while making Hamas look like the bad guys.
Return them, and if Israel continues the attacks, nothing changes and you have more leverage in gaining international support