Egypt fed up with Hamas refusal to take Gaza deal, pushing them to accept, Arab diplomat tells ToI.

[Beastly Boy]

8. I don't view the diplomatic contacts with Hamas as "negotiations". It's extortion, pure and simple.

The lives and bodies of dead Israelis in exchange for the terms Hamas would have never been granted otherwise. I also regard Hamas holding the hostages to be the main reason the war is still continuing. Were there no hostages, the war would have been over long ago.

I believe that most of the Hamas negotiating team, like the bulk of Hamas leadership, reside permanently in Qatar. I have no idea how they keep contact with Hamas commanders on the ground. Probably some clandestine diplomatic contacts, had been established to make this happen.

Of course, it is the radicals and the zealots who are most interested in keeping the war going. Regardless of how many people get killed, their goals are unattainable. What is rarely, if ever, mentioned, is Hamas' radical Islamist fetish for martyrdom, usually at the expense of their subjects. Most of them have no desire to be "martyred" for the glory of Hamas but are severely punished for daring to object to this explicitly homicidal/suicidal ideology.