Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Occupied Palestine: Five members of the IOF wounded in clashes that took place in Rafah on Wednesday
Israeli media outlet: Netanyahu and Katz are expected to conduct a security assessment soon, and a wave of attacks in Gaza is anticipated later
Israeli media outlet: Gunmen emerged from a tunnel in Rafah and attacked forces in the area with gunfire and anti-tank missiles
Local sources from Damascus countryside: An Israeli occupation drone targeted the road connecting the town of Beit Jinn and Tell Bat al-Warda with 3 airstrikes, without any reported casualties
Al Mayadeen's Beirut Bureau chief: Addition of non-military envoy was agreed upon to pursue non-technical matters.
Al Mayadeen's Beirut Bureau Chief: Lebanese Presidency's statement affirms Lebanon's readiness to attend talks in an effective capacity.
Lebanese Presidency: President has assigned former Ambassador Simon Karam to head military technical committee in talks.
Israeli occupation forces carry out an arrest campaign during a raid on Surif, north of Al-Khalil in the southern occupied West Bank.
Syrian Foreign Ministry: Damascus expresses its gratitude to the countries that voted in the UN General Assembly in favor of ending the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan.
Ushakov: Russia and the United States agreed not to disclose the substance of the Putin–Witkoff talks.

US, 'Israel' mis-assessed Hamas' firm position on its demands: Axios

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Axios
  • 26 Mar 2024 23:22
  • 3 Shares
6 Min Read

Axios reports that the rift between the United States and "Israel" is widening as "Tel Aviv" accuses Washington of compromising the talks after not vetoing the UNSC resolution.

  • x
  • US, Israelis miscalculated Hamas' firm position on its demands: Axios
    Hamas' al-Qassam military spokesperson Abu Obeida during a televised speech shortly after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023 (al-Qassam Military Media)

The Israeli occupation entity recalled its delegation from Qatar after negotiations regarding a prisoner exchange agreement reached a deadlock, with the United States and the Israelis brawling over who is to blame for this outcome, Axios reported on Tuesday.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution on Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan. The decision was backed by all permanent members except for the US who abstained.

Following the UNSC's announcement, "Israel" accused President Joe Biden's administration of empowering the Resistance Hamas' negotiating position. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also canceled an Israeli delegation's visit to Washington, which was scheduled to discuss the ongoing developments in Gaza, including the prisoner swap talks and the Rafah invasion, further widening the already existing rift with Biden's administration.

Read more: US-'Israel' diplomatic spat: Opening salvo fired

Who's to blame

The Israeli team was called back from Doha, and Netanyahu's office issued a statement blaming Hamas for the talks reaching a dead-end, claiming that the group's stance was due to the UNSC's resolution.

"Hamas's stance clearly demonstrates its utter disinterest in a negotiated deal and attests to the damage done by the UN Security Council's resolution," Netanyahu's office said. "Hamas rebuffed all U.S. offers for a compromise while celebrating the Security Council's resolution."

The Prime Minister's office added that "Israel" will not address "Hamas's delusional demands" but will "pursue and achieve its just war objectives."

Read more: Trump slams Biden policy, urges Israelis not to share Gaza war footage

The US did not receive the Israeli statement well, with two senior officials stating that it had angered the White House, which described it as an attempt by Netanyahu to continue the dispute with Washington, which was exacerbated one day prior to the UNSC session.

"This statement is inaccurate in almost every respect and unfair to the hostages and their families," one official said.

"Hamas' response was prepared before the UN vote even took place. We will not play politics with this most important and difficult issue, and we will remain focused on a deal to free the remaining hostages," the US official continued.

An advisor to Netanyahu shortly after responded to the official, saying, "Hamas welcomed the UN Security Council resolution and the hostage talks got stuck — this tells you everything you need to know."

Read more: 'Israel' goes ballistic on UNSC res.; leaving US 'very disappointed'

Underestimated Hamas' seriousness

However, the US, Qatar, and Egypt remain optimistic, calling the current situation a "pause" and that talks could resume in a few days, a source said, according to Axios.

"The Israelis went back to consult. Everybody still wants to keep talking, so we don't think it's over," the source said.

But another official said that it was a mistake to assume that the Resistance wasn't serious about its demand from the start, describing the current deadlock as much more serious than believed.

Read more: Any aimless negotiations will not continue: Hamdan to Al Mayadeen

"A lot of people thought Hamas wasn't serious in its demands and that the mediators can squeeze them into a compromise. It didn't happen. It should have been clear from the start but some people didn't want to see it," the Israeli official said, adding that Netanyahu did not provide the delegation with enough mandate to help the team make progress.

Furthermore, the official said that the Resistance did not change its stance despite the Israeli military attacks and pressures from the mediations, especially with regard to the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza.

"We are dramatically stuck. It's not for show. There is a substantial gap. We can engage in a blame game but it won't bring the hostages back. If we want a deal, we need to acknowledge reality," the Israeli official said.

Unwavering position on demands

Meanwhile, Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant met with the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday in Washington in an attempt to calm tensions.

"The negotiation on the hostages issue and Hamas' positions require us to join hands in our military and diplomatic efforts," Gallant said at the beginning of the meeting.

He also met with CIA director Bill Burns, who was also in Qatar last weekend, with the prisoner exchange agreement on the agenda.

The Doha meeting included Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Mossad chief David Barnea, and senior Egyptian intelligence officials.

According to Axios sources, "Israel" agreed to release 700 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 with "life sentences", in return for Hamas releasing 40 captives. However, Israelis ignored the main pillars conditioned by the Resistance for any deal to take place.

A Palestinian Resistance source confirmed to Al Mayadeen earlier that the round of negotiations in Doha "did not lead to anything new" due to the Israeli occupation's stance being "very obstinate".

The source added that "Israel has not offered anything new, except agreeing to a gradual and conditional return of the displaced."

Read more: Exclusive: Hamas flexibility in negotiations met with Israeli stalling

Hamas responded to the proposal on Monday evening, reiterating its main conditions, which included a comprehensive ceasefire, the lifting of the siege on Gaza, the return of forcibly displaced Palestinians to the north, and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Strip. But the occupation only agreed to a "gradual return" of 2,000 Palestinians per day to northern Gaza, while completely ignoring the rest of the Resistance's demands.

In a Monday statement, the Resistance also announced that it had informed the Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it is firm about its terms.

"The responsibility for the failure of the negotiations is on Netanyahu and his extremist government," Hamas said.

"Israel", on the other hand, saw that Hamas is counting on the international public pressure to force the occupation to end the war on Gaza, claiming that the Resistance doesn't want the talks to proceed regardless of Israeli compromises.

"When the director of Mossad read Hamas' written response it was clear we are at a dead-end and that Hamas doesn't want to move forward regardless of the Israeli willingness to compromise. They just want to drag it out so that international pressure on Israel to end the war grows even stronger," a senior Israeli official said.

  • United States
  • Lloyd Austin
  • Palestine
  • Al-Aqsa Flood
  • Egypt
  • Israel
  • Hamas
  • Gaza
  • David Barnea
  • Joe Biden
  • Qatar

Most Read

13 elite Israeli troops were wounded in a confrontations in Beit Jinn, Syria.

13 elite Israeli troops wounded in confrontations in southern Syria

  • West Asia
  • 28 Nov 2025
Russia and China are not part of the Resistance Front, but they are playing an important role in building structures to bypass US power and thus facilitate a multipolar and freer world. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

The Resistance Front and BRICS

  • Opinion
  • 29 Nov 2025
Four killed, ten wounded in targeted California shooting in Stockton

Four killed, 10 wounded in 'targeted' California shooting

  • US & Canada
  • 30 Nov 2025
Point-blank killings: 'Israel' executes 2 Palestinian youths in Jenin

Graphic footage: IOF execute 2 Palestinians from point blank in Jenin

  • Politics
  • 27 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Security at the al-Afad camp for displaced people in the town of al-Dabba, northern Sudan, on 26 November 2025 (AP)
Politics

Amnesty calls out RSF war crimes as fighting in Sudan spreads

People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside a court in occupied Jaffa on Monday, December 1, 2025, a day after he asked the country's president for a pardon amid his ongoing corruption trial. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Politics

Netanyahu trial reveals deep failures in Israeli governance: Atlantic

A Russian fighter jet taxi on the tarmac of the Hmeimim Air Base, a Syrian airbase currently operated by Russia, located southeast of the city of Latakia in the town of Hmeimim, Syria, on Monday, Dec.16, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Russian military bases in Syria remain operational: Russia Deputy FM

Israeli soldiers work on tanks at a staging area on the border with Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestine, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Four Israeli soldiers injured, one seriously, in Rafah confrontations

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS