The selection of Yahya Sinwar to head the Hamas Political Bureau after the assassination of its former leader will make no difference in the terrorist group's ongoing cease-fire talks with Israel because he was already calling the shots, former Israeli ambassador Ido Aharoni told Newsmax on Sunday.
"I think that we're facing a very difficult situation because of the linkage that was created" on Oct. 7, which was a "manifestation of the anti-American axis," Aharoni told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend."
To counter this, the United States' "counter axis" of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and other countries need a hostage deal and cease-fire in Gaza, but Hamas has no incentive to release the remaining hostages it is holding, he continued.
"They want the war to end, but they don't want to release the hostages, because that would mean that they lost the only leverage they have," Aharoni said.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets in Tel Aviv overnight calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to free hostages still being held by Hamas, reports The Times of Israel.
Aharoni agreed that many Israelis do not agree with how the government is handled, as often happens in democracy, but he does not believe the protests will affect the deal process.
"The key is Hamas," he said. "If Hamas wanted to end this war, all they have to do is drop their weapons and leave Gaza. What Israel wants to do is end the rule of Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is a deadly jihadist Islamist organization, anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Western…it has no reason to give up the only leverage they have."
Questions also remain about what kind of cease-fire could be reached, Aharoni said.
If there is a temporary cease-fire, Israel can complete its goals of freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas, he said, while a permanent cease-fire will mean Israel will have a difficult time resuming the war.
"Our viewers and our listeners must understand what Hamas did on 10/7 changed the Israeli society to the core," said Aharoni. "Israel cannot live like this anymore with enemies on the southern border, enemies on the northern border, you know, heavily armed, ready to destroy our lives and ready to kill Israeli civilians."
And most Israelis do not want that situation to continue, he said.
"The effort to uproot Hamas, to end Hamas rule may take years," said Aharoni. "This is not something that will happen overnight, and I think most Israelis understand that."
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