Israel to give hostage negotiations 'last chance' ahead of expected Rafah operation

Senior Israeli officials informed their Egyptian counterparts that Jerusalem is ready to offer one "last chance" for a potential hostage deal and truce with Hamas ahead of its anticipated ground incursion into Rafah, Hamas' last major stronghold in Gaza.

An unnamed Israeli official told local Israel media that negotiations are “very good, focused, held in good spirits and progressed in all parameters.”

However, the official emphasized: “This is the last chance before we go into Rafah.”

Encouraged by growing international pressure on Israel to end its military operation against Hamas, the terrorist group has allegedly stalled negotiations. However, it appears Israel is no longer willing to wait. An unnamed senior Israeli official indicated that the options on the table are “either a deal in the near future – or Rafah.”

Egypt and Qatar are widely considered to be the regional players with the greatest leverage to influence Hamas’ decisions and actions. The Israeli official told Ynet News that the Egyptian government is prepared to increase its pressure on Hamas to accept a hostage deal with Jerusalem while “in the background, there are very serious intentions from Israel to move ahead in Rafah.”

Hamas and terrorists and their allies abducted more than 250 Israelis and foreign nationals during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel's southern border with Gaza. While some hostages were released in late November, during the first deal, there are 133 hostages still believed to be in captivity in the Gaza Strip, with at least 25% no longer living, according to IDF estimates.

Israel's domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, recently rejected a report by the British Daily Mail paper that only 40 out of the 133 hostages remained alive.

“The publication in question is not true and does not represent the opinion of the Shin Bet,” the Israeli agency stated. “The numbers mentioned in the article are based on the writer’s opinion only and are not based on information from the Shin Bet.”

Families of the hostages have demanded an immediate hostage deal to secure the release of their loved ones.

On Friday, the Israeli government reportedly signaled it is prepared to accept an Egyptian-mediated deal that would release fewer than 40 of the hostages. While the exact number is not official, an unnamed senior Israeli official said the deal concerned 33 hostages, mainly female, elderly and sick Israelis and foreign nationals who are still alive in Hamas captivity.

Jerusalem initially demanded the release of at least 40 hostages. However, Hamas claims that it does not have 40 female, ill and elderly hostages who are still living.

On Wednesday, Hamas released a video of 23-year-old captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. The video was the first sign of life from Hersh since his capture.

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari called the video “an urgent call for action," adding: “We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find our hostages.”

The hostage situation is closely connected to Rafah, as the IDF suspects that the remaining Israeli hostages are likely being held underground there. Rafah is the only portion of Gaza that is still fully controlled by Hamas, according to the Israeli military.

Struggling to survive, Hamas has demanded a complete ceasefire. However, Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas as a military and political power.

Jerusalem has therefore only agreed to a temporary truce, linked to the release of the remaining hostages. It is currently unclear how long of a truce Israel would accept before resuming its military operations against Hamas.

An unnamed Israeli official recently told the Axios news outlet: “The number of days of the ceasefire will be linked to the number of hostages who will be released. If Hamas does want a humanitarian deal, Israel will not be the obstacle.”