“Hamas does not have a humanitarian bone in their body.” “They [returned the Raanans] for calculated reasons,”

 

Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip during a deadly attack on the community on Oct. 7.

Hamas terrorists only returned the American mother and daughter who were being held as hostages on Friday for “calculated” reasons, one expert claimed.

In a conversation with The Post Friday, former FBI agent and hostage team expert Christopher O’Leary cautioned the public not to fall for Hamas’ claim that they released Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, for “humanitarian reasons.”

“They [returned the Raanans] for calculated reasons,” O’Leary scoffed, noting that “Hamas does not have a humanitarian bone in their body.”

“This is a deliberate and calculated move, not a good-will or good-faith gesture … they are playing a long game with the hostages,” he concluded.

O’Leary speculated that either Judith or Natalie possibly had “medical issues” that precluded the terror group from holding them in Gaza long-term; sources later told the Times of Israel that the two women were released due to Judith’s health.

“[Hamas] may be doing this to build some credibility as negotiators,” O’Leary opined, referring to the ongoing effort to broker some peace between Hamas and Israel, who had been locked in a bloody back-and-forth since the former unleashed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7.

“Right now they do not seem like a legitimate negotiator,” he explained.

“You need to be able to demonstrate that you are a legitimate partner in an exchange.”

“[Releasing the Raanans] also helps counter the narrative Biden put out yesterday, going directly after Hamas, categorizing them as a terrorist organization,” O’Leary added.

But despite Hamas’ supposed best efforts, O’Leary concluded, the group is still “the quintessential terrorist organization.”

“The taking of hostages is a violation of international law and human rights,” he noted.

Speaking to The Post just one day before Judith and Natalie Raanan were released, O’Leary admitted that military rescue was likely out of the question for the 203 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip..

“We’ve not seen a case quite like this in the modern era,” he said.

Instead, he suggested, the US and Qatar should take the lead on negotiating favorable releases.

In its official statement on the Raanans’ release, Hamas confirmed that the agreement was reached in part due to Qatar’s intervention.