Hamas is reportedly being pressured by Hezbollah and mediators to drop high demands from Israel in a possible deal, Arab affairs commentator Jacky Hugi said in a Wednesday interview with Army Radio.
"Hamas is under pressure from home and abroad: one of them is Hezbollah," he said. "In recent weeks, [its Secreary-General Hassan] Nasrallah and his men have asked Hamas to consolidate and claimed that their demand to release hundreds of prisoners with blood on their hands is unrealistic, and Israel would not be able to comply with it even if it really wanted to.
"Be practical," Hugi said: "Hezbollah, for their part, think that they have exhausted this war, but they cannot stop their initiative. Nasrallah said from the very first stage: 'We are fighting here to help the Gaza Strip in weakening the Israeli army, make it more difficult for them, and to increase the pressure on the government.'
"This is their help, and therefore, they will fight as long as they fight in Gaza. Four months later, Nasrallah has exhausted this fighting, and he was happy for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip because he feels he has achieved a lot," the Arab affairs commentator said.
"Everything that happens from here on is already dangerous for them; they caused Israel to evacuate the population, took a toll on human lives, attacked bases, and tied forces to the northern border. All of these are achievements for them, but they are satisfied with them, and they said to [Hamas' political leader Ismail] Haniyeh that his approach 'is not realistic; you need to be flexible,'" Hugi said in conclusion.
Former National Security Council head statements
In response to the statements, former National Security Council head Dr. Eyal Hulata said: "We failed to generate enough political pressure on Hamas, and I hope that they start to see something else: The leadership of Hamas abroad needs to understand that their future is clouded.
"No one thinks that the Qataris are doing what they are doing out of hatred for Zionism," Hulata said. "It is clear that they are motivated by interests - including the Egyptians."