CNN’s Barak Ravid Says Trump’s Gaza Proposal ‘Definitely Impacted’ Hamas Backing Away From Hostage Release

CNN analyst Barak Ravid joined anchors Boris Sanchez and Brianna Keilar on Monday to discuss Hamas’ announcement that it would not go forward with the next round of hostage releases amid new comments from President Donald Trump about the U.S. denying Palestinians the right to remain in Gaza.

“Barak, what are you hearing from your sources in Israel about this?” asked Sanchez to kick off the segment.

“I think the Israeli government at the moment is still trying to figure out whether this Hamas announcement announcements are truly because of, you know, tactical issues on the ground about how many makeshift homes were allowed to go into Gaza, how many bulldozers to clear out debris has been allowed into Gaza, or whether it’s a much bigger issue that has something to do with phase two of this deal,” replied Ravid, adding:

The negotiations on phase two were supposed to start last week. They still haven’t started. So I think Israeli officials, including Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his top aides who are meeting now in Jerusalem are trying to figure out whether it’s a tactical thing or something, which is much more strategic.

“And complicating that, we see the pictures coming from Tel Aviv. You have families. You have supporters of the families taking to the streets. Barak, what is the domestic pressure on Netanyahu in this and how is that being perceived by Netanyahu and those close to him?” followed up Keilar.

“I think the pressure has been increasing quite dramatically since the hostages started coming out and especially after last Saturday when the last three hostages were released, came out in a very, very bad physical condition,” Ravid answered, adding:

It created the wave of of pressure on the government, both in demonstrations on the streets and both by statements by families of hostages who were released and families of hostages who were still in Hamas captivity. And I think the number one issue you hear from hostage families is deep concern that both Netanyahu– or a deep concern that Netanyahu managed to convince President Trump that phase two of the deal is not that important and that the resumption of the war is more crucial at the moment.

Sanchez then noted, “I just want to let our viewers know, a moment ago we were looking at live pictures of protests in Tel Aviv following this announcement by Hamas. I want to play some sound for you of President Trump speaking to reporters on Air Force One. And he was talking about Palestinians right to return to Gaza after it’s supposedly redeveloped by the United States.”

He then played a clip from Trump yesterday, saying, “I think that it’s a big mistake to allow people, the Palestinians or the people living in Gaza, to go back yet another time. And we don’t want Hamas going back and think of it as a big real estate site. And the United States is going to own it and will slowly, very slowly work to develop it.”

“Barak, how do those comments have an impact on the situation right now and how could they shape the second phase of the cease-fire deal?” Sanchez asked.

“So they definitely have an impact. And, you know, there are some Israeli officials who are involved in the negotiations that think that this is also a signal by Hamas that they, you know, that they it’s their way to push back on Trump’s recent comments about moving Palestinians out of Gaza,” Ravid replied, adding:

And also a signal by Hamas that if Netanyahu is not going to seriously negotiate on the phase of the second phase of the deal, then maybe not phase one will not be implemented in its entirety. And not all the hostages in phase one will be released. And I think that Trump said something very interesting on Air Force One. In addition to what you just showed.

He said that there’s a dribble of hostages coming out and that at a certain point and that he starts to lose his patience. And I think the number one question is whether President Trump is going to say now, listen, I’m not going to have like the situation of every week another three hostages, everyone who is now held by Hamas, I want them out as part of one big deal and not this phased approach. And I think that’s the question, whether Trump will go down that road or will continue down the current path.

Watch the clip above via CNN.