Israel messed up by not demanding Hamas prove hostages live - expert

The Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar recently reported additional details on the document submitted by Hamas to mediators regarding the deal for the release of Israeli hostages. According to the report, the first phase is a 42-day ceasefire, which will become a permanent ceasefire in the second phase. Hamas also proposed the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners for each kidnapped Israeli soldier, with 30 of them serving life sentences. This is in addition to the release of women, children, adults, and the sick among the Israeli hostages. 

Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Arab culture lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, explained the hardening of Hamas's positions in the negotiations in a conversation with Gadi Ness on 104.5FM radio. 

"They look at us, they see a frightened and conflicted country with protests, American pressure, and understand that the State of Israel is on its way to disintegration in front of them," said Dr. Kedar at the beginning of the conversation.

"They hope that just as they left Lebanon in 2006, the same will happen to them. The battalions that lost have lost, but what remains is the strength they have in Rafah, which is also full of refugees. It is clear that Israel will not be able to attack in Rafah like in the previous cities. They want to attack during Ramadan but Israel should wait until after Ramadan."

Kedar pinpoints Israel's consequential mistakes

He later criticized the conduct of the negotiations with Hamas regarding the hostage deal by stating, "Israel started off wrong because it should have started by saying exactly what the negotiations are, who lives and who dies. It is not easy from a public point of view. If I were in charge, the first thing I would say is for them to say what they have in hand. To negotiate without knowing what the goods are? Maybe they've already killed everyone? Tell us who's healthy, who's sick, and who is alive. Why don't they? Because they want the blame to fall on us and claim that because of us, there are no negotiations. I say this with a broken heart, but this is how negotiations are conducted: When you are weak, they blackmail you."

Finally, Kedar addressed the issue of the draft law and said that "without the ultra-Orthodox in the coalition, the right has no majority. This is what they are building on, that the controversy over the draft law will remove the ultra-Orthodox from the government and those from the center will enter the government, even the left, and conflict in Gaza will end."