TASS, the Russian News Agency, reports that, contrary to what I wrote yesterday, the Russian deputy foreign minister did call on Hamas to release all hostages. Of course, Hamas ignored the request, as they have ignored almost all such requests in the past.
Israeli troops in Khan Yunis may have found one of the locations where hostages had previously been held. Rumors say that infant clothing found at that site was sent for DNA testing and came back positive for the Bibas children. The 2 red-headed Bibas kids are the last remaining children that were known to have been kidnapped and were not returned during the hostage exchange week. So far, I have no confirmation that this report is fact.
Another rumor, which seems likely to be true, is that other Arab countries (and maybe even Hamas political members who are not in Gaza) are pushing on Yahyah Sinwar and other Hamas leaders who are in Gaza to give up the hostages and surrender. The reason given is that the Palestinian civilian population is paying an exorbitant price for Sinwar’s intransigence.
More pocket of isolated Hamas terrorists are surrendering, especially in the north.. That’s an independent reason to believe that that Hamas is losing what little control it still has over the area. The military wing no longer has command/control/communications with many of its’ units. The governmental branch, which includes the ‘police’, used to be able to take over the trucks distributing aid once they passed the Rafah crossing gate. Videos from cell phones inside Gaza show that this is no longer true. One of them shows a truck being hijacked from the Hamas escort, Hamas guards just watch it happen.
All of this might mean that Hamas rule is really coming to an end, but the critical question of what comes next remains unanswered. Undoing the years of education to hate that the children have experienced is not going to be an easy task.
Wetherhorn 