Gaza Ceasefire Progress Is an Illusion, Says Hamas

 

Hamas has dismissed speculation of progress on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza as wishful thinking after US President Joe Biden said he was feeling “optimistic”.

After two days of U.S.-backed talks in Qatar, President Biden said Friday: “We are closer than ever.”

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israeli negotiators had expressed “cautious optimism” that agreement on a deal would be reached.
However, a senior Hamas official had previously told the BBC that there had been no progress and that the mediators were “selling illusions”.

The Israeli military has launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, during which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-led health ministry.

A ceasefire deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 of the hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 111 hostages are still being held, 39 of whom are believed to be dead.

In a recent joint statement, the United States, Qatar and Egypt said they had presented a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that “narrows the gap” between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has said that any ceasefire deal would require the release of the remaining hostages. Some have already been released, while others are believed to have died in Gaza.

Relatives of the hostages still in Gaza call the current negotiations a “last chance” to get some of them out alive.

After 10 months of war and thousands of casualties, the pressure for a breakthrough is enormous.

A broader regional conflict, should talks between Israel and Hamas fail completely, is a real possibility and a common fear for all involved.

The mediators said the last two days of ceasefire discussions had been “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere.”

Technical teams are expected to continue working in the coming days on the details of how to implement the proposed terms before senior government officials meet again in Cairo in the hope of reaching an agreement on the terms agreed in Doha.

While the mediators’ statement is clearly a positive development, there is still a long way to go before a ceasefire is agreed.

This isn’t the first time Biden has said he believes a deal is near, and not everyone shares his cautious optimism.

Neither Hamas nor the Israeli government have given similarly optimistic responses.

Israel says its position and basic principles have remained unchanged and have been “well known.” It has accused Hamas of refusing to accept a deal to release the hostages.

Above all, Israelis want to see the remaining hostages freed, but many are skeptical that this is the primary goal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has insisted that a “total victory” over Hamas is his government’s priority.

Meanwhile, Hamas’s new leader, Yaya Sinwar, continues to show little sign of compromise.

Asked about President Biden’s statement, the senior Hamas official told the BBC that “what we have received from the mediators is very disappointing. There has been no progress.”

Gazans have been struggling with a severe food crisis for months and now face the threat of a polio epidemic.
Hamas is believed to have abandoned its call for a permanent ceasefire in favor of Biden’s proposal for a six-week pause during which an end to the war could be brokered.

Biden’s ceasefire proposal also called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, the gradual release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and the return of the remains of deceased hostages.

The “bridge proposal” put forward by US, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators will be the subject of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s negotiations in the region and is expected to form the basis for upcoming talks in Cairo, which are expected to be attended by all parties, including Hamas.

The proposal is said to “fill the remaining gaps” between the two sides’ positions, which could allow for “a swift implementation of the agreement”.

It may seem obvious, but there are major obstacles to overcome and there is still no trust between senior Israeli figures and those of Hamas.

They are dragged to the negotiating table, perhaps against their will, by others who are afraid of what might happen if they fail.

Hamas and its allies believe that the US administration is trying to buy time.

If Iran attacked Israel, it would appear that Hamas undermined the negotiations.

Hamas makes no secret of its desire for Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel and for the escalation to turn into a regional war.

They believe that a severe blow to Israel would weaken Netanyahu and push him to accept a deal.

For his part, Mr Biden warned that “no one in the region should take any action that could undermine this process”.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military operation in Gaza continues: an air strike in the early hours of Saturday morning killed 15 people in the al-Zawaida neighborhood in central Gaza, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense Authority, a rescue service.

Spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP news agency that nine children and three women were among the victims.

Israel has not issued a direct statement. The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday morning that it had “eliminated a number of terrorists” in central Gaza, including one who had fired at Israeli forces operating in the area.

The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders for several blocks in northern Khan Younis and Deir Balah, further reducing the humanitarian zone where thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the fighting.

Israel said the blockades had become dangerous for civilians “due to significant acts of terrorism” and the firing of rockets and mortars into Israel.

The United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said: “Once again, fear is spreading as families have nowhere to go.”

Adding to the urgency of the ceasefire agreement is the circulation of the polio virus, which can be spread through feces, within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.

“Let me be clear: the ultimate vaccine against polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
[BBC]

Progress after Gaza Ceasefire Is an Illusion, Says Hamas. first appeared on TheConclaveNg.