Jonathan Dekel-Chen,’ The report that the American families are demanding a separate US-Hamas is not correct.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Father of US-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen denied that the Biden Administration is making a unilateral deal with Hamas to free American captives, contrary to an earlier report.
According to NBC, families of Americans kidnapped by Hamas met with Biden Administration officials to negotiate a separate deal that would free their loved ones in exchange for prisoners held in the US.
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th, said the report is false.
“I am in continuous contact with the other American families and all levels of the US government,” he said. “The report that the American families are demanding a separate US-Hamas is not correct.”
I am in the room [for the meetings administration officials hold with the families of the hostages], and anything else is speculation,” he said.
US officials are in contact with American hostage families and saying they are doing everything they can to advance the deal between Israel and Hamas currently being negotiated.
However, the deal has recently reached an impasse over several issues, including the dispute over whether Israel will have a military presence in the Philadelphi corridor on Gaza’s border with Egypt.
NBC reported that families of American hostages contacted Biden Administration officials on Sunday morning following the news of the murder of 6 hostages, including US citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and urged the Biden Administration to make a separate deal with Hamas, sidestepping Israel.
U.S. officials were quoted as telling the families that the Biden administration will pursue “every option” while emphasizing that the current track of talks between Israel and Hamas remains the most promising path to the hostages’ return.
The Biden administration has reportedly considered the possibility of dealing directly with Hamas, at least since June, as a backup option should the talks between Israel and the terror group collapse.
NBC News reported that some senior administration officials vociferously opposed direct talks with Hamas.
Nevertheless, the White House has already drawn up a list of prisoners the U.S. could potentially release in exchange for the return of American captives, two former and two current U.S. officials said.
The report further claimed that the U.S. had made overtures to Hamas via Qatar to consider a secondary track of negotiations. However, U.S. officials cited in the report said the initial attempt did not lead anywhere.
One official cited by NBC News said the U.S. had few bargaining chips in direct talks with Hamas.
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