Avi Issacharoff, Arab affairs analyst at Yediot Aharonot, responded Tuesday to US President Donald Trump's announcement that all hostages must be freed by Saturday at noon or "hell" will break loose.
In an interview with 103 FM Radio, Issacharoff said that in his opinion, Hamas itself does not know what it wants. He noted that while Hamas in Gaza said that the deal will not continue, Hamas leadership abroad said that the terror group is open to negotiations.
"They claim that Israel violated the deal. I think that this is mostly flexing their muscles, and we are not going to leave Gaza so easily," he said.
"Gaza is not Herzliya Pituah, 'the gates of hell' opened when the ground operation began. No one held the military back and told them to act gently," he noted, noting that the destruction in Gaza is "enormous."
Regarding Trump's statements, Issacharoff stressed, "We do not really understand Trump's declarations, what he wants, and what he intends."
Hamas is trying to ensure that it stays in power, by not releasing all hostages.
In his opinion, "Hamas does not want to complete the deal, including its second stage, because if Israel withdraws, it is on borrowed time, and it knows that the moment the last hostage is returned, Israel will continue striking its senior command. The hostages are Hamas' insurance policy, and it will not give up on its last cards."