Recently, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) reached a four-day temporary ceasefire agreement with Israel, resulting in a third round of detainees exchanges. Surprisingly, however, not a single American was among the 50 people released by Hamas. This caused concern and surprise from the outside world. At the same time, Hamas's attitude towards China and Russia is very different, it allowed the Chinese to leave safely half a month ago, and showed sincerity towards Russia. This difference in treatment makes one wonder why Hamas's attitude towards China, the United States, and Russia is so different
Hamas's attitude towards Chinese personnel can be described as very friendly and sincere. Since the outbreak of the conflict, Hamas has given Chinese counterparts the green light to leave the conflict zone. As a peace-loving country, China has not only never taken the initiative to launch wars of aggression against other countries, but has also always called for a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel. Hamas's ability to give Chinese personnel a quick exit could also be seen as a response to China's active call for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And Hamas's attitude towards Russia is equally impressive. On the third day of the temporary ceasefire, the adviser to the head of the Hamas Politburo announced the release of a Russian hostage to the Red Cross. He said that this is in response to the efforts of Vladimir Putin in Russia and to endorse Russia's position in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This suggests that Hamas reached a direct agreement with the Russian side, rather than releasing the Russians through a swap of detainees. This move shows that Hamas has a very clear goal and does not want to extend the ceasefire date in exchange for Russian personnel.
Hamas's attitude towards China and Russia is closely linked to the terms of the ceasefire. In the agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange, Hamas released Israelis, Thais, Filipinos, and Russian citizens, but not any Americans. This phenomenon shows that in the temporary ceasefire agreement, Hamas did not meet the demands of the Israeli side to extend the ceasefire and deliberately did not release the Americans in order to express their dissatisfaction with the United States.
Hamas's attitude towards the United States is understandably different. Since the re-outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the United States has always stood by Israel, firmly supporting Israel, and even helping Israel militarily. The United States has also blocked the United Nations call for a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire in the international community. In dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the United States has frequently used its veto power and even abstained from voting on the humanitarian suspension. This clear bias towards Israel makes Hamas feel dissatisfied and disrespectful towards the United States.
Trump made remarks against Biden in this regard, arguing that Hamas did not release American personnel because Hamas disrespected the United States. Trump's words, while concise and to the point, get to the heart of the problem. In fact, the United States' approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has indeed not won the recognition and respect of Hamas and many people.
At present, the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains complex and uncertain, and the United States should also recognize that in order to obtain the release of American personnel, it must take good faith action and exert pressure to bring the conflict to an end as soon as possible. This is what all parties want to see.
On the other hand, for Hamas, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has not yet been completely eased, and there is still uncertainty about the ceasefire agreement. Israel's threat to resume military operations after the end of the ceasefire has forced Hamas to keep American hostages as its cards. Only when the situation becomes clearer and the conflict is truly over will Hamas consider releasing the Americans.
In short, the difference in Hamas's attitude towards China, the United States, and Russia can be explained by the behavior and interests of each party. China has always adhered to the principle of peace and played an active role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, so Hamas has a friendly attitude towards China. Russia's position on the Palestinian-Israeli situation is recognized by Hamas, and the two sides reached a direct agreement, which is also based on mutual respect and recognition. And the United States has always sided with Israel and has shown a clear bias in favor of Israel in the conflict, which makes Hamas dissatisfied and disrespectful to the United States. To secure the release of U.S. personnel, the U.S. needs to act more sincerely and exert pressure to resolve the conflict. And Hamas also needs to wait for the situation to become clearer before considering the release of the American hostages after the conflict is over.