Hamas agrees to Egyptian ceasefire proposal, Israel counters

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1. Would love to understand the internal calculus both parties are using for this negotiation. 

   Hamas I guess is playing a game of maximize prisoner release and hope US will apply more pressure to Israel once all American hostages free.  I don’t see this as high hopes of succeeding, but if surrender is off the table for internal political reasons, I guess it is the best move. 

   Netanyahu presumably understands that dynamic, but this is complex. He has more political capital to carry out the war if hostages remain.  Perhaps it is just a coin flip where if Hamas capitulates, he looks like a skilled negotiator but if they don’t, he has more justification to carry out the war? 

   In some ways the smartest move for Hamas is to release the hostages and pray Israel loses the will to fight (they are going down this path anyway). But guessing their own internal political calculations don’t allow such perceptions of capitulation.

   Meanwhile, ordinary Gazans continue to suffer immensely.

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