Secret Hamas Letter Reveals Why Hostage Talks Collapsed

A letter from Ezz al-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, to the group’s political leadership in Qatar has thrown a wrench into ceasefire and hostage release negotiations with Israel, according to an exclusive report by Baruch Yadid in i24NEWS’s Shabbat magazine yesterday.

The letter, sent to Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas political figure in Doha, demanded a ceasefire agreement that preserves Hamas’s full military capabilities, including keeping its forces armed and restricting IDF presence to within tens of meters of specific perimeters in Gaza. This stance caught both mediators and the U.S. off guard, and has stalled talks and exposed internal divisions within Hamas.

Al-Haddad, who reportedly controls some of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza (including 20 believed to be alive), proposed that Hamas relinquish full civilian control over the Strip in exchange for these military concessions. He cited Hezbollah’s model in Lebanon—an armed group operating alongside a civilian government—insisting on international guarantees to secure this arrangement. This demand for maintaining military strength contrasts with previous Hamas positions, which focused on partial deals or prisoner exchanges, such as a reported proposal to trade 10 hostages for 200 security prisoners and 2,000 Gazans detained since October 7, 2023.

Internal Hamas tensions are evident, as al-Hayya, a key negotiator with ties to the late Yahya Sinwar, faces pressure from al-Haddad’s faction to prioritize military preservation over a broader deal. This rift complicates mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt, who have struggled to bridge gaps since the collapse of a January 2025 ceasefire. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff expressed frustration, recalling negotiators from Doha after Hamas’s response showed “a lack of desire” for a deal, though mediators noted the gaps were still bridgeable.