Between Diplomacy and Desperation

Last Friday, I wrote about Adam Boehler, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and his imaginative Middle East diplomacy. We now know the outcome: a compromise that allows Hamas to operate freely, virtually unhindered by pressure from other countries, and to rearm at a pace they determine, while the relatives of the hostages taken on October 7 remain buried under uncertainty. As Biranit Goren so eloquently described it last week, ‘to ensure his political survival, Netanyahu gave Hamas a ceasefire free of charge.’

The newest offer from Hamas to free one living captive, Edan Alexander, a dual US-Israeli national, and the bodies of four other dual US-Israeli nationals was made public on Friday. However, Israel’s political establishment swiftly denounced the action as a cunning and unscrupulous challenge to our Jewish State: “Hamas remains firm in its refusal and has not budged one millimetre… While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas continues to engage in manipulation and psychological warfare,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that same day in a rather frank statement. They’re not incorrect either: This most recent stunt reveals the hideous chess game Hamas continues to play in Gaza, with the hostages acting as pawns and the West acting as a conveniently credulous spectator, perched on the sidelines and yet somehow controlling the game’s outcome.

On Friday, Hamas announced its latest offer to release one living hostage, Edan Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen, along with the remains of four other dual American-Israeli citizens. Israel’s political leadership, however, was quick to reject the move as a cynical, manipulative act: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) declared that very day in a rather blunt statement that ‘Hamas remains firm in its refusal and has not budged one millimetre… While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas continues to engage in manipulation and psychological warfare.’ And they aren’t wrong. This latest stunt uncovers the grotesque chess game Hamas continues to play in Gaza; the hostages as pawns and the West as a conveniently gullible audience, perched on the sidelines and somehow able to dictate the flow of the game.

Alexander was a soldier from the Golani Brigade, born in Tel Aviv, who moved to Tenafly, New Jersey, and grew up there until 2022 when he returned after high school to serve as a lone soldier. He was taken hostage on 7 October during Hamas’ brutal assault on southern Israel.

In November last year, he appeared in a propaganda video from Hamas, pleading with both the Israeli government and the incoming Trump administration to secure his release, looking emaciated, gaunt and worn. Addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said:

‘I heard you speaking to the people of Israel on the news, and I am very disappointed. I heard that you will give $5 million to whoever brings us back alive. The prime minister is supposed to protect his citizens and soldiers, and you neglected us… The fear is at its peak, and we are dying a thousand times every day that passes, and no one feels for us. The people of Israel: Do not neglect us. We want to return home with a full mind.’

To the people of Israel, he said: ‘Fear and isolation are killing us. Please do not forget us. It is unreasonable that we pay the price for a mistake made by the government. Please, people of Israel, go out to demonstrate every day and pressure the government. It is time to put an end to this nightmare.’

To President Trump, he pleaded: ‘Please use your influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate for our freedom. Every day here feels like an eternity, and the pain from inside grows from day to day. Please do not make the mistake Biden has been doing. The weapons he has sent are now killing us, and the unlawful sieges are now starving us. I do not want to end up dead like my fellow US citizen Hersh [Goldberg-Polin].’

The video finishes with Alexander addressing his parents and grandparents, declaring that it is only ‘a matter of time until this nightmare ends.’

That was four months ago. Despite this latest offer, Israel’s leadership remains staunchly unmoving. The PMO stressed that Hamas’ proposal fell short of the broader deal put forward by US special envoy Steve Witkoff — an agreement that would have secured the immediate release of ten living hostages, a ceasefire through the end of Passover, along with the release of every remaining hostage if a final agreement to end the war is reached.

The diplomatic undercurrents are as revealing as they are troubling. The tensions between Israel and the United States have become increasingly amplified following Boehler’s talks with Hamas (authorised by Witkoff) without the involvement of Israel. Hamas’ decision to place the spotlight on Alexander and the four deceased — believed to likely include Judith Weinstein and her husband Gadi Haggai of Kibbutz Nir Oz, tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion Omer Neutra and Sgt. Itay Chen (only 19 at the time of his death), although identities remain unconfirmed — appears to be meticulously designed. In their emphasis on dual nationals, Hamas dares Israel to reject a deal that would return Americans.

For now, Israel holds its ground. The PMO’s position, based on both strategy and principle, is that Hamas must move first. Diplomacy has yielded partial success, but the fate of over 100 souls remains to be unresolved. Hamas’ latest proposal, far from a solution of any kind, is a direct challenge to Israel. Remember the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s appeal: ‘We cannot wait another day.’