Israeli strikes kill 12 in Gaza as war grinds into the new year with no end in sight
Associated PressDEC 28 2024
Senior Hamas Official: 'Good Chance' Negotiations Succeed
Above: A displaced Palestinian boy stands amid an overnight Israeli strike on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 2, 2025. Image copyright: Bashar Taleb/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Now that quiet has been found on the Lebanese-Israeli border, the US will continue to work toward a cease-fire in Gaza that ensures the release of Israeli hostages and the end of Hamas' rule over the Palestinian enclave. The recent events in Syria further solidify the need for stability, and the US will work toward that goal.
Pro-Israel narrative
Hamas is again sabotaging a hostage deal because insufficient pressure has been applied to the terror group. Hamas won't even give negotiators a list of hostages it would be willing to release, turning negotiations into a circus. Some progress has been made in recent weeks, but there's still a long way to go.
Pro-Palestine narrative
The primary obstacle to a deal, as always, is Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu wants to stymie negotiations for his own political benefit. Though the US has said that it wants to see an end to the war, it continues to support Israel and Netanyahu's intransigence.