Hamas refused to provide names of hostages it’s holding: US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan
Sullivan said that Hamas “has been deeply intransigent".
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday (Dec 13) said that “for many months, (Palestinian militant group) Hamas has not been prepared to even do the basic things of coming to the table with the names of hostages,” amid the talks of a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza.
Sullivan's comments in the interview with Channel 13 came after Hamas gave a list of hostages to mediators that it has planned to release in the first phase of the agreement, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. However, WSJ’s claim was later denied by an Arab diplomat, the Times of Israel reported.
Sullivan further stated in his interview, “Israel negotiated hard to defend and justify its position in this negotiation". He added that the Palestinian militant group “has been deeply intransigent".
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“We have seen Hamas repeatedly, time and again, when the opportunity was there to do something, not be prepared to step up and do it,” he said.
“But we have also seen Israel and the Israeli government choose to drive a negotiation where it had its perspective on what was required to get the hostages home and ensure Israel’s security," Sullivan further added.
“We judge that trying to proceed in phases and getting this thing (hostage deal) started so people start coming out — that is the best way to get to the end of the process,” he said.
Did Hamas give the list of hostages?
On Thursday (Dec 12), the Wall Street Journal reported that more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war, the Palestinian militant group agreed to the Israeli demand to let the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remain in Gaza temporarily under a likely ceasefire deal.
This comes as Hamas has been maintaining that it won't accept the ceasefire deal unless it promises to end the war and includes a complete withdrawal of IDF troops from the Gaza Strip. But the report said that not only Hamas has agreed to let IDF troops to stay in the Palestinian enclave, but it has also given mediators a list of hostages it would release in the first phase of the ceasefire.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
