Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Dermer says Hamas should be blamed for rejecting hostage deal, not Israeli government

A growing number of Israelis have become increasingly critical of the Netanyahu-led government's handling of the hostage crisis in Gaza, especially after the recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages who were executed by Hamas terrorists.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer acknowledged the public anger but urged Israeli citizens to focus their outrage on the Hamas terrorist organization, holding them responsible for the Oct. 7 terror attack.

"We should all be angry and outraged, but at Hamas, not the Israeli government. It was Hamas that killed the hostages, it was Hamas that invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 people in cold blood," Dermer said in a CNN interview on Wednesday.

Dermer, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected both domestic and international criticism that the Israeli government has been undermining a potential hostage deal by "moving the goalposts."

"The government is doing all it can, returning 150 of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas, with 110 of them returned alive," Dermer emphasized.

In late November, some 100 hostages were released as part of an internationally brokered deal between Hamas and Israel. In addition, Israel has rescued eight hostages alive, conducting risky military operations inside the Gaza Strip.

In August, Israel Defense Forces rescued Bedouin-Israeli Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, who survived more than 10 months of Hamas captivity. Israeli forces found al-Qadi in a Hamas tunnel below the southern town of Rafah.

Many Israeli and international critics have stressed that time is running out to secure the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Dermer noted that Hamas has systematically rejected every proposal presented in recent months by the mediating countries – Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

"There is no deal to be made with Hamas simply because they have refused to accept any of the proposals presented to them by our mediating partners. They are to blame for the lack of a hostage deal," Dermer argued. "Hamas are the ones to blame for this loss of life, and they, along with their partners Iran and Hezbollah, should be held accountable by the international community for their ongoing crimes."

The Biden administration has been critical of the Netanyahu government’s policies before and during the war in Gaza and Washington has grown increasingly skeptical about whether Hamas is genuinely interested in reaching a hostage agreement.

An unnamed U.S. official recently told the Axios news outlet that the hostage release-truce deal is already 90% agreed upon. He stressed that Hamas’ recent murder of six hostages “has brought a sense of urgency to the process, but it's also called into question Hamas's readiness to do a deal of any kind.” 

The Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow land strip on the border between Gaza and Egypt, has reportedly been a major sticking point between Hamas and Israel. Hamas demands a full Israeli withdrawal from the strategic area, which it uses for smuggling weapons and dual-usage goods into the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu is opposed to withdrawing troops from the area, concerned that it would enable Hamas to regroup and rearm.

“Iran could carry out its plan to turn Gaza into a base, a terrorist enclave, that would endanger not only the communities around it but would endanger Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheva,” Netanyahu warned on Wednesday during a foreign press briefing.

Dermer, who previously served as Israel’s ambassador in Washington, noted that the Israeli government seeks the release of the Israeli hostages while simultaneously eliminating Hamas’ military and political capabilities.

"Everyone in the security cabinet, including myself, have the same dual objectives: Returning the hostages, and ending Hamas' military capabilities and ending its political rule over Gaza so it never poses a threat to Israel's security ever again,” Dermer stated.