Orientalist admits Hamas delayed release of Israeli hostages

The radical Palestinian movement Hamas may delay the return of Israeli hostages, because after that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will start attacking the militants more strongly than before. This opinion was shared with Izvestia on January 29 by Sergei Balmasov, an expert of the Middle East Institute and an expert of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs.

Earlier in the day, Al Arabiya TV channel, citing a source, reported that Hamas may refuse to release hostages if Israel continues to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

"The hostages are actually the only trump card to twist Israel's arms. As soon as they hand over the hostages, they will be hit in a way they have never been hit before. They will be hit very painfully, with a lot of blood, especially since [ U.S. President Donald] Trump is not at all against it - as evidenced by the new deliveries. Therefore, from Hamas's point of view, it is necessary to delay the return of the hostages," Balmasov believes.

According to him, Hamas finds itself in a dual situation. Israel will attack in any case - with or without the release of hostages. Only in the first case the attacks will be larger. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the contrary, is in an advantageous position, despite the development of the current situation, said the interlocutor of the publication. Having agreed with Hamas on the return of prisoners, he has satisfied the demand of the protesting Israelis. However, if the group does not release the hostages, it will no longer be in his area of responsibility. In addition, and such a scenario will also allow him to continue destroying Hamas, the expert explained.

Among other things, the Orientalist said that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is improving - against the background of the IDF military retreat, opportunities have opened up for aid deliveries to the enclave, including from Egypt.

Contributing to the freeze: how the truce between Israel and Hamas will work and how long it will last

On the first day of the deal, the Palestinian movement freed three hostages

Earlier, on January 19, the first phase of the ceasefire came into force between Israel and Hamas. During the first phase of the 42-day deal, 33 Israeli hostages and about 1,900 Palestinians are to be released. On the same day, the movement released three hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, and on January 26, four military girls were handed over to the Red Cross.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.