Excerpts and commentary from a newsletter from Israel:

For months, Israel has been unsuccessfully negotiating with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas to end the war. The talks are stalled: Hamas refuses to release the Israeli hostages it took on Oct 7, including young people and the elderly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reluctant to relinquish control over a crucial supply corridor to Hamas, fearing the resurgence of the terror organization.

Now, a previously unknown document from Hamas' military intelligence reveals how the terrorists maneuver the international community, torment Israeli hostage families, and plan the rebuilding of their military infrastructure. The document, outlining Hamas’ negotiation strategy, was found on a computer believed to belong to the Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar. Dated the spring of 2024, it is exclusively available to BILD.

Hamas identifies several key factors to consider during negotiations. For example, it emphasizes maintaining the "capability of our forces" to act against Israel, exhausting the Israeli political and military mechanism, and "wearing down (Israel via)” international pressure on Israel.

Hamas does not intend for a swift end to the war that would benefit the people (civilians) of Gaza. On the contrary: "We must improve key aspects of the agreement, even if negotiations take longer."

Although Hamas acknowledges that "its military capabilities have weakened," it does not see a need for an immediate end to the fighting, despite the suffering of its population. The document does not mention the thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in the fighting even once.

Especially cunning is Hamas's exploitation of the hostages to improve its negotiating position. The document explicitly states: "Continue to apply psychological pressure on the families of the captives, both now and at the initial stage (of the ceasefire), to increase public pressure on the enemy’s government."

Hamas repeatedly releases videos of the hostages, who are forced to plead for their release and criticize their government. After the murder of six Israeli hostages, the terrorists released videos showing the captured Israelis. These are barbaric psychological tortures are intended to make the hostage families so desperate that they will do anything to free their loved ones, even if it means turning against their own government.

Even during the ceasefire, Hamas aims to use the hostages to pressure Israel. "During the negotiations for the second stage (of the ceasefire, to happen during phase 1), Hamas will allow the Red Cross to visit some of the prisoners (for the first time every) as a gesture of goodwill and to send messages to their families (to increase the pressure via the families).”

The pressure on Israel is intended to increase, forcing it to extend the ceasefire. Hamas also details important demands from Israel, such as the release of 100 mass murderers and terrorists serving life sentences in prison.

Several key points of the document focus on how to maneuver the international community and advance the rebuilding of Hamas's military power.

The document discusses "political maneuvering": Hamas’s negotiation strategy includes proposing "deploying Arab forces along the eastern and northern borders" with Israel. However, their sole purpose would be to "serve as a buffer to prevent the enemy from entering Gaza after the end of the war until they (Hamas) can regroup and rebuild their military capabilities."

In other words, Hamas wants to prepare for new battles with the help of Arab armies.

Israel should be blamed for the unsuccessful negotiations. Hamas's message to the media should be that Israel rejected a deal proposed by the US. The media should be led to believe that while Hamas agreed, the deal failed due to "Israel’s stubbornness." Hamas should not be held responsible for the lack of agreement.

It is also worth noting what is absent from the document: the "Philadelphi (Gaza-Egypt) Border Corridor,” which was the focus of negotiations for weeks, is not mentioned. However, Hamas currently pretends it is of utmost importance to them.

The border corridor separates Gaza from Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants it to remain under military control. Hamas refuses to accept this and demands a withdrawal of forces. The corridor has become one of the most sensitive points in the negotiations, with the US also exerting strong pressure on Israel.

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