Shaaban Bilal (Gaza, Cairo)
At least 15 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured yesterday in an Israeli bombardment that targeted a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) used to house displaced Palestinians in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Palestinian medical sources at Al-Awda Hospital reported that 14 dead people and several wounded were pulled out from a shelter in the Nuseirat camp following Israeli shelling, hours after the gates of the largest food warehouse belonging to UNRWA in the central Gaza Strip were bombed, leading to the death of three workers for the international organization.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that the past hours witnessed an escalation in Israeli bombing operations in the central Gaza Strip, which led to the killing of 41 Palestinians and the injury of dozens with various injuries.
Politically, hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and reaching a truce were renewed with the resumption of indirect negotiations between the parties, and the return of meetings regarding some of the items leading to calm.
The United States has high hopes for the recently resumed contacts between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, with the White House describing the Palestinian side’s latest ceasefire proposal as “a breakthrough that establishes a framework for a potential hostage deal,” explaining that it is encouraging and a major development from both sides.
A Palestinian official close to the internationally mediated peace efforts said the new Palestinian proposal could lead to a framework agreement if Israel accepts it.
A senior source said the Palestinian side had accepted a US proposal to begin talks on the release of Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men, 16 days into the first phase of a deal aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza.
The Wall Street Journal linked the resumption of negotiations to Israel’s indication that it is preparing to end major military operations in Gaza after 9 months of war, in addition to the Palestinian side’s acceptance of the American proposal for a truce.
Palestinian political analyst Jihad Harb considered that the negotiations open up hope for a return to calm and the possibility of reaching an agreement to end the war according to the proposal of US President Joe Biden, explaining that “optimism will be cautious in light of Netanyahu’s continued leadership of the Israeli government, which may not have the desire to reach an agreement, but he went to the negotiations under duress in light of the escalation of demonstrations inside Israel and US pressure,” adding that these negotiations will not be easy due to the presence of multiple issues that require detailed discussion to reach an agreement.
The Jordanian analyst, Dr. Amer Al-Sabaileh, agreed that the current circumstances, with the reduction in the level of fighting, open the door to hope for activating the diplomatic side to stop the war and build on presenting a recipe for a long-term solution, in light of the Palestinian side abandoning many of the caveats it had previously adhered to.
However, Dr. Muhammad Musalha, a professor of political science at the University of Jordan, ruled out reaching an agreement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to cease fire, explaining that “there are several reasons, most notably Netanyahu’s unwillingness to reach a ceasefire despite internal and external pressures.”
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