- Fight for ceasefire in Gaza war continues
After the start of negotiations over a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, there remains a gap between Israel's and the Islamist Hamas' positions. It is expected that the talks, mediated by the USA, Qatar, and Egypt, will continue today in Qatar's capital, Doha. The hope for a breakthrough is low.
Ultimately, the positions of both conflict parties in the indirect negotiations are decided by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of Hamas, Jihia al-Sinwar. "I don't believe that the deep gap between these two can be overcome," said Michael Milshtein, a former head of the Palestinian department of Israel's military intelligence, to the "Wall Street Journal". "Unfortunately, they are the main decision-makers on both sides."
Meanwhile, militant Jewish settlers attacked a village in the West Bank. This attack, in which a 22-year-old Palestinian was killed, caused outrage. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, dozens of masked settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Jit, 10 kilometers west of Nablus, and set fire to at least four houses and six cars. More than 100 people were involved, according to the "Times of Israel", citing a source in the Israeli security apparatus. Israeli security forces then arrived and drove the settlers away, Israeli media reported. The "Times of Israel" reported that the army had arrested an Israeli and handed him over to the police.
"Violent, radical outbreaks are the opposite of everything the Israeli state upholds in terms of code and values," Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant wrote on the X platform. He will support the military and investigative authorities in "addressing this issue."
The office of Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that the prime minister takes the incidents "very seriously". Those responsible will be apprehended and brought to trial. Israeli opposition leader Jair Lapid condemned the violent outbreak, calling it a "moral low point", according to media reports. "This has nothing to do with Judaism."
Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip after the massacre by Hamas and other extremist groups in the Israeli border area on October 7 last year, the situation in the West Bank has further deteriorated. According to the Health Ministry in the West Bank, 605 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations, confrontations, or their own attacks. There has also been an increase in violence by settlers against Palestinians.
In Tel Aviv, relatives of hostages and sympathizers demonstrated, calling for quick results in the ongoing talks over a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. Participants in the march through the coastal city's downtown called out to the Israeli negotiators: "Don't come home without a deal!"
The talks in Doha aim for a ceasefire and the release of 115 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Hamas is not participating in the negotiations but is reportedly kept informed about their progress, according to dpa.
The pressure on the negotiators has increased further due to the expectation of a potentially heavy retaliation by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia against Israel following the killing of two key Israeli opponents. US President Joe Biden had already spoken of a "decisive moment" for the negotiations in May.
However, the chances of implementing his three-phase plan are considered low. The gap between the parties remains large, said a high-ranking Egyptian official to the "Wall Street Journal". Nevertheless, efforts are being made to reach a consensus, he said in the evening of the first day of negotiations in Doha.
Hamas: No new conditions to be negotiated
Hamas will not negotiate any new conditions, said its spokesman Osama Hamdan to dpa. It should only be about implementing the plan presented by Biden in May. He accused Israel of blocking the negotiations by imposing new conditions, such as refusing to withdraw from the so-called Philadelphi corridor, which runs along the southern border of Gaza with Egypt.
Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, on the other hand, said that the Israeli army must continue to control the Philadelphi corridor even after a ceasefire.
Despite all efforts, the mediators have not been able to put enough pressure on the Israeli side to adhere to the plans for a ceasefire presented in May, complained Hamas spokesman Hamdan. Israel "does not want a ceasefire". Netanyahu, on the other hand, accused Hamas of raising new conditions.
Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday during a visit to the Philadelphi corridor that the army can maintain control here even without constant presence and with only punctual advances.
Netanyahu sticks to war aim
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to militarily destroy Hamas and ensure that it is no longer able to govern the Gaza Strip, which has been blockaded by Israel for many years. Hamas leader Sinwar, on the other hand, apparently relies on the fact that Hamas will emerge victorious by surviving as a group. He told the mediators that the death of Palestinian civilians would benefit him internationally because Israel would be condemned for it, wrote the "Wall Street Journal" recently.
Sinwar is believed to be hiding in the extensive tunnel network of Hamas under the blockaded coastal strip. He is considered the mastermind behind the Hamas and other groups' terrorist attack in Israel on October 7. Around 1,200 people were killed and 250 more were taken into the Gaza Strip. This unprecedented massacre triggered the war: Israel began with massive attacks throughout the coastal strip. Since then, the number of victims has risen to over 40,000 dead and 92,400 injured, according to Palestinian figures. The health authority controlled by Hamas does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in the independently unchecked numbers.
The Commission, composed of the USA, Qatar, and Egypt, is facilitating the talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha to reach a ceasefire agreement. Nonetheless, the position of both parties, Israel and Hamas, is heavily influenced by their respective leaders: Benjamin Netanyahu and Jihia al-Sinwar.
