Even during the war: The direct communication channel between Israel and Hamas
A security source reported that the long-standing channel with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad was renewed after October 7 and assisted in negotiations for the release of hostages. Hamad also served as a contact point during the negotiations for the Gilad Shalit deal.
Israel has maintained several direct secret communication channels with Hamas throughout its history, even during military conflicts, and some of these channels remained active after the October 7 massacre. This was confirmed by a security source who, until recently, was involved in this field.
According to the source, the channel between Ronen Bar and Ghazi Hamad is a long-standing Shin Bet channel with Hamas, which was renewed during the war, though not immediately after October 7. The channel was intended for conveying messages without mediation and for carrying out necessary coordination on issues related to hostages, food supplies, humanitarian aid, and more.
The source states that this channel helped in reaching hostage deals and even in protecting their lives during captivity:
"We have been talking to Hamas since its inception. There are indirect channels, but various mediators have their own interests. A direct channel helps both sides understand the true messages and solves problems in real-time, even when there is fighting."
Direct and unofficial communication channels between Israel and Hamas existed in the years preceding the current war, often operating in parallel to negotiations conducted through mediators. One of the central figures on the Hamas side in such contacts has been Ghazi Hamad, a senior member of the organization in the Gaza Strip.
Hamad also played a role in the negotiations that led to the Shalit deal. Gershon Baskin, who was involved in a secret channel between Israel and Hamas, previously recounted that his contact with senior members of the organization began with Hamad a few days after the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. Through this channel, messages were passed between the sides over the years, first during the Olmert government period and later with Prime Minister Netanyahu's envoy, David Meidan.
According to Baskin, at an advanced stage of the negotiations, Hamad passed him a document on behalf of Ahmed Jabari, who was then a senior member of Hamas's military wing. The document helped renew the intensive negotiations that eventually led to the 2011 Shalit deal.
Even during the current war, Hamad remains a central figure in Hamas's negotiation apparatus. He is among the senior members of the organization involved in contacts regarding a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and has served as a member of the Hamas negotiation team.
Thus, the use of Hamad as a contact point for conveying messages is not new: it fits into a longer history of unofficial and semi-direct channels intended to allow Israel and Hamas to convey messages even during periods when no official negotiations were taking place.
