Gaza is in suspense. In a completely unexpected turn, Hamas announced last night that it accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar. But hours later, Israel rejected the new plan and decided to continue with its launch of a possible invasion in Rafah, the last corner of Gaza free of soldiers, where a ground offensive, as many humanitarian organizations have repeated, would be deadly. Last night there were already intense bombings that caused the death of at least five people, according to AFP.
Although the group’s words sparked celebration in the streets of the strip, the Israeli war cabinet considered that the framework accepted by Hamas “is far from Israel’s necessary demands.” However, he added that he will send a delegation to Cairo “to exhaust the possibilities of reaching an agreement, under conditions acceptable to Israel.”
Previously, Jalil al Hayya, Hamas negotiator leader, had confirmed to Al Jazeera that the pact included three phases of 42 days each, with a first that contemplated the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners for each freed female hostage, the return of the displaced internal affairs and an increase in the inflow of aid and fuel. The men were to be released in a second instance.
Al Hayya, who assured that US President Joe Biden had committed to guaranteeing the implementation of the pact, added that in this second stage there would be a permanent ceasefire and the total withdrawal of Israeli troops, a point to which Israel has agreed. always denied.
Thus, the army maintains what it calls a “limited operation”, hence the “evacuation” of districts east of Rafah, which involves the forced transfer of 100,000 Palestinians, most of them displaced several times by Israeli attacks. This threat reached civilians in the form of SMS in Arabic, calls and leaflets dropped from the air.
Gazans have been ordered to two areas. To Khan Yunis, the other large city in the south of the enclave, devastated by air and ground attacks, and to Al-Mawasi, a coastal strip mostly of dunes and crowded after Israel designated it a “safe zone” at the beginning of the offensive, which today celebrates its seventh month.
In this second area, the Israeli authorities claim to have “extended the humanitarian zone” to the border with Deir al Balah and have installed more tents and some field hospitals. However, various organizations on the ground, including Unicef ??and Action Against Hunger, warn that “there are no safe areas” in Gaza, and the Norwegian Refugee Council adds that Al-Mawasi “is overcrowded and does not have vital services.” .
In the space that Israel plans to attack are the Kerem Shalom crossings, the main access to aid, and Rafah, the only pedestrian crossing to Egypt. Consequently, the offensive “threatens to further unravel what is already a humanitarian catastrophe,” warns the Israeli human rights NGO Gisha.
Though incredulous, thousands of Palestinians loaded their few possessions into pickup trucks, donkey carts or on their shoulders to traverse the muddy streets and escape the parts of Rafah where Israeli forces maintain they will hit “with extreme force.” From Rafah, Louise Wateridge, UNRWA spokesperson, describes that “everyone here is exhausted. Families have been forcibly displaced time and time again, forced to move with minimal notice and almost no means.” And these images of a new exodus occur at the same time as more intense Israeli bombings in Rafah, which lasted throughout this Monday and which, in the previous 24 hours, killed at least 28 Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s government has so far defended an invasion of Rafah as the only way to destroy four remaining Hamas battalions, but the measure is criticized by most of the hostages’ relatives, who renewed protests last night to demand that the government once and for all accept an agreement for the release of the kidnapped people.
In a meeting with some of them, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had told them before Hamas’ surprise statement that their “refusal” to a pact “forced them to start the operation in Rafah.” For its part, the Islamist organization had accused Israel of obstructing negotiations over the weekend and starting the offensive in the south “without worrying about the fate” of the kidnapped people.
At the start of the weekend, hopes for a deal were higher than ever. Arab and Palestinian media reported on Saturday that Hamas was willing to accept the first phase of the truce, even without a permanent ceasefire being secured in that instance. But, in that period, two statements by a “senior Israeli official” again emphasized that Israel would not accept any pact that would mean the end of its war. Netanyahu repeated that position on Sunday, and, according to The New York Times, which cited an anonymous Israeli source, all of this contributed to leaving the talks almost moribund, and Hamas also hardened its position and on Sunday launched ten mortar shells at a military base. in the Kerem Shalom area, killing four Israeli soldiers.
In this scenario, Hamas and Israel continue to throw the ball at each other, unwilling to bear the responsibility of being the last to reject a ceasefire agreement, which would alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages. For now, the Netanyahu government imposes the invasion of Rafah and prolongs its political survival.
