NBC reporter Gabe Gutierrez voiced some concern on Monday that the Israeli Special Forces mission — which resulted in the rescue of four hostages — could stall ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
Gutierrez joined “The Today Show” host Hoda Kotb during Monday’s broadcast — just two days after Israel announced that they had liberated four of the hostages that Hamas had taken from the Nova music festival on October 7th — to discuss what, if any, involvement the United States had had in the operation.
WATCH:
NBC via reporter Gabe Gutierrez DECRIES the rescue of Israeli hostages from Hamas because it HURTS Biden’s ability to negotiate with terrorists:
“Still, there are concerns that Saturday’s rescue may hurt efforts to reach a ceasefire and free the remaining hostages.” pic.twitter.com/hmXE12xDNu— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) June 10, 2024
Gutierrez explained that the U.S. had not been involved in executing the mission, but had offered intelligence to assist the Israelis.
“The Biden administration confirmed the U.S. did not participate militarily in the rescue operation but the U.S. provided intelligence in support of it,” Gutierrez said, before pointing to the fact that the civilian casualties — 274 by Hamas’ “count” — could make it harder to get the terrorist group to agree to a ceasefire.
“Still, there are concerns that Saturday’s rescue may hurt efforts to reach a ceasefire and free the remaining hostages, including the eight Americans – three of which are believed to have been killed,” he said, adding that the United States had considered negotiating with Hamas directly in order to get the remaining American hostages back.
“Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region today to try and secure a deal, but the rescue will likely make his efforts even more difficult and that’s why the administration may negotiate directly with Hamas to release the remaining American hostages if the current proposal fails, according to U.S. officials,” Gutierrez continued.
“They say this latest rescue only strengthened Netanyahu’s determination to keep pushing for military operations in Gaza instead of pursuing a ceasefire. One senior administration official calling this a very real option, citing the fact that Hamas could have an incentive to deal directly with the Americans because it would strain relations between the U.S. and Israel and possibly put even more pressure on Netanyahu.”