The Hamas terror organization reiterated on Thursday night that intends to end ongoing negotiations with Israel, which would see the hostages released in exchange for a ceasefire and release of terrorists in Israeli custody, unless the Jewish state first ends the war in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas “will not accept to be part of this policy by continuing negotiations in light of the aggression, siege, starvation and genocide of our people,” the organizations said, according to Reuters.
“Today, we informed the mediators of our clear position that if the occupation stops its war and aggression against our people in Gaza, our readiness (is) to reach a complete agreement that includes a comprehensive exchange deal,” the terror group said.
Of the 252 people whom Hamas and other terrorists kidnapped on Oct. 7 and took to Gaza, 125 remain in the Strip.
Israel previously said that Hamas’s demand to end the war in return for the freedom of some hostages was “delusional.”
John Kirby, the National Security Council communications advisor, told reporters on Wednesday that there is a new proposal as part of renewed indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
“Another proposal now is on the table, a fresh one, and we are doing everything we can to see if we can’t get that advanced, because it could lead to the ceasefire in a temporary way that could also lead to something more sustained,” Kirby said.
“Our view and our opinion is we got to get this hostage deal now. The time is now to do it, to get that temporary ceasefire, and to end this conflict as soon as possible,” Kirby added.
Also on Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group released a second propaganda video of 30-year-old Alexander “Sasha” Trufanov, who was abducted from his family home in Nir Oz on Oct. 7.
The two-minute clip—Trufanov’s second sign of life this week after 236 days in captivity—was produced by Islamic Jihad for propaganda purposes. JNS is not publishing the footage.
In the video, terrorists force Trufanov to speak in favor of protests against the Israeli government and urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow Qatar’s Al Jazeera to broadcast from the Jewish state.
Trufanov is an engineer employed at Annapurna Labs, an Israeli chip company that was acquired by Amazon in 2015. Friends have repeatedly tried to convince the U.S. tech giant to demand its employee’s release.
Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, also owns The Washington Post.