Rami Igra, former head of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Division in the Mossad, commented in an interview on Radio 103FM about the attempt to renew contacts for the release of hostages after the elimination of Yahya Sinwar.
"We must remember when talking about Sinwar, that we have now eliminated all the Hamas leaders. However, Hamas is not just leaders, it's a religious jihadist movement that believes in the elimination of the State of Israel. The question is what the elimination of Sinwar will do, and what his status will be compared to the movement that is popular," he said.
He also added that "the deal on the table from Hamas's perspective is to end the war and leave Hamas as the sovereign over Gaza. Is this the point that the State of Israel insists on? Let's say we end the war, on the other side of the border Hamas will continue to strengthen and believe with blind faith and full of hate in the elimination of the State of Israel. How can we return to the Gaza region?"
"One of the main goals of the war is not only the return of the hostages, which is of utmost importance, but also the end of the period in which Hamas controls Gaza. And this is the Archimedean point on which the entire negotiation revolves."
Later, Igra said: "We do not know if the elimination of Sinwar will lead to chaos where we find ourselves more lost, or find the return of the hostages in exchange for money or immunity. This narrative that we hear all the time that in just another minute there'll be a deal, and all that needs to be done is to say yes to various small clauses, is not correct, it's misleading."
Igra addressed possible solutions and said that "there is a solution, and it is an alternative entity to Hamas in Gaza. The great tragedy for all of us is that the extreme right-wing government ruling the State of Israel is not willing to mumble the alternative words 'Palestinian state' this or that. We have a historic opportunity that no one talks about for political reasons. And until then, we are in trouble."
"There is no one to negotiate with on the other side. Khalil al-Hayya said with the death of Sinwar that the only way they are willing to talk is the cessation of the war and the return of his rule. Qatar is Hamas, and also Egypt - none of the mediators have any way to influence Hamas, this popular movement."
"Look at the website of the Gaza Municipality, and you'll see that it functions like the Tel Aviv Municipality. It is the Hamas Municipality, and this group manages their state because we haven't offered an alternative. The foolish plans to try to starve them, this is not the way. This approach does not work in the modern world. We need to convince them through an alternative. We have been stuck for a year, and it is all based on a political decision of the State of Israel not to give up, but to set an alternative for Hamas in Gaza."
