Four months after the start of the war between Hamas and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully rejected the Palestinian Islamist group's proposal for a truce and assured that he will go for an “absolute victory.” Netanyahu also ordered the Army to “prepare” an offensive on Rafah, in the south of the enclave and on the border with Egypt, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are crowded. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Israel, evaluated Hamas' truce pact proposal and, although he said there is no base point, he still sees “a space” to reach an agreement .
Four months into the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Hamas' demands for a ceasefire in Gaza, despite mediation efforts led by the United States. Netanyahu claims that the only solution is “absolute victory” over the Palestinian Islamist group.
In a televised news conference, the Israeli leader said that accepting Hamas's “delusional conditions,” which include a 135-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, would lead to “another massacre and a great tragedy in Israel. that no one would be willing to accept.”
Netanyahu also confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces were ordered to begin operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
In response to calls from the US Government and, this Wednesday, from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Netanyahu noted that “at least four months” of additional fighting will be necessary before defeating Hamas and stated that “the Victory was within reach.”
International concern intensified over the possibility of an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah. UN officials warned of the possibility of “large-scale loss of life” and the risk of war crimes in the event of an assault.
Netanyahu, whose approval ratings have declined, also ruled out any arrangement that would leave Hamas in partial or full control of Gaza, assuring that no part of the enclave would be “immune” from the Israeli offensive.
Blinken, for his part, had previously indicated that there was still “a lot of work to do” to overcome differences between Israel and Hamas after the group's proposal to permanently end the fighting.
Although some mediators viewed Hamas's proposal positively as a sign of readiness for future negotiations, Netanyahu stressed that the release of the more than one hundred hostages, held by Hamas, would only occur through continued military pressure on the group.
A three-phase Hamas truce proposal
Israel previously announced its refusal to withdraw its troops from Gaza or end the war until Hamas was eliminated. However, reports close to the negotiations indicate that Hamas has taken a new perspective on its historic demand to end the war, raising it as an issue to be discussed in future talks rather than a condition for the truce.
According to the offer document reviewed by Reuters news agency, the first 45-day phase included the release of all held Israeli women, men under 19, and the elderly and sick, in exchange for Palestinian women and children. detained in Israeli prisons. During this phase, Israel would have to withdraw its troops from the densely populated areas of Gaza.
The implementation of the second phase would be subject to the conclusion of “indirect talks on the requirements necessary to end mutual military operations and return to complete calm.” At this stage, the remaining male hostages would be released and Israel would completely withdraw from all of Gaza. The exchange of the remains of the deceased would take place during the third phase.
This plan emerged in response to the Israeli proposal for a six-week cessation of hostilities and the gradual release of approximately 130 Israelis still detained in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Furthermore, this truce was expected to increase the supply of food and other aid to the 2.3 million desperate civilians in Gaza, who face shortages of food, water and medicine.
The Israeli military offensive in Gaza was triggered after Hamas killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages in a cross-border attack into Israel on October 7.
Hostages amid failed negotiations
Israel notified the families of 31 people kidnapped and taken to Gaza on October 7 that their loved ones are dead. This follows statements by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who indicates that Hamas has reacted “generally positively” to proposals seeking a pause in the fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of more hostages.
The figure of 31 deaths represents more than 20% of the 136 remaining hostages in Gaza, according to data collected by the Israeli Army. This event occurs in a context of pressure on the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu for its handling of the hostage crisis.
The revelation about the deaths of many of the remaining hostages could intensify scrutiny over the management of Netanyahu's government.
About half of those kidnapped during the attack were freed last year in a ceasefire hostage deal. However, negotiations for a second agreement have continued for weeks, without coming to fruition.
The conflict has been complicated by gradual information about those captured on October 7, with families informed that some understood to be alive had died.
Rafah, amid the growing humanitarian crisis in the enclave
The situation in Gaza has reached alarming proportions, according to the United Nations, becoming one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century. Between February 5 and 6, at least 107 Palestinians lost their lives, raising the death toll to more than 27,000, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.
The United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, said that since January, the ability of humanitarian aid missions to reach people in need in Gaza has worsened. Of the 61 planned missions in northern Gaza, only 10 were facilitated by Israel, while 34 were denied access.
According to the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), approximately 75% of the population of Gaza, which totals 2.3 million inhabitants, with more than half made up of children, is displaced, most of them taking refuge at the Rafah crossing, bordering Egypt. In November, Israeli authorities asked civilians to head south of the enclave, insisting it would be safer.
UNRWA, the main provider of humanitarian assistance, has been defunded following accusations by Israel that its staff were involved in Hamas attacks. Numerous countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, withdrew their funding, jeopardizing future funding.
With at least half of the buildings in Gaza damaged or destroyed and much of the medical infrastructure unusable, aid distribution becomes incredibly difficult. Even if humanitarian assistance were to flow unimpeded, the practical difficulties remain enormous, with virtually nowhere safe for 1.9 million displaced people to receive food and medicine.
Despite the recent decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) calling on Israel to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid and services, providing aid to those in need is becoming virtually impossible. An immediate and permanent ceasefire would be presented as the most effective solution to prevent this humanitarian crisis in Gaza from worsening.
With Reuters, EFE, AP and local media
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