The provocative proposal was delivered by a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, in an interview with AP: the organization undertakes to accept a five-year truce if Israel accepts the creation of a state Palestinian. In theory it seems like a step forward, given that the White House also supports the need for two states (but without Hamas), but in practice the clarifications made by al-Hayya make the proposal inadmissible for Israel: he claims the “historical right on all Palestinian lands” as well as the recognition of the “right of return”. It would mean, in theory, the return of six million descendants of refugees to the territory of Israel.
Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas: this is why Israel is preparing the military operation in the city on the border with Egypt
MANEUVERS
The proposal that, according to the Russian news agency Tass, Hamas has presented to Israel through Egypt is more realistic: in exchange for the suspension of attacks by Israeli forces, it offers the release of the hostages and a halt to the fighting for a year. That time will be used for the creation of a Palestinian state. Finally, Israeli officials talk about a third possible agreement, more limited: the release of 20 hostages by Hamas in exchange for the possibility granted to the Palestinians to return to the north of the Strip. Only hypotheses, for now the negotiation is not unblocked. Yesterday in Israel all attention was focused on the major maneuvers for the start of the ground offensive in Rafah: in the evening dozens of tanks were massed on the southern border, a sign that the attack is close. In Rafah, the last town before the border with Egypt, 1.4 million Palestinians had taken refuge (where usually just over 250 thousand lived). Some managed to leave, an estimated 200 thousand, in the direction of Khan Yunis, al-Muwasi, Gaza City. The Israeli army is setting up tent cities. Someone crossed the border into Egypt (it is assumed 80-100 thousand), but on this yesterday President al-Sisi reiterated: «We have adopted a clear position since the beginning of the war. We are against the forced migration of Palestinians from their lands to Sinai or any other place, we will guarantee the protection of Egyptian national security.” An Egyptian website reports the statement of an “informed source” in the country: “The Israeli military presence on the border with Egypt would constitute a violation of the peace treaty and Cairo’s response would be decisive.”
Yesterday the war cabinet met in Israel, the IDF has been pushing for days for the attack to be given the green light as it believes that 4 Hamas battalions are still hiding in Rafah. In one of the IDF air raids, a Belgian aid worker and his 7-year-old son were killed. Meanwhile, the United Nations confirms the news anticipated by the Israeli network i24News: on Wednesday the pier built by the Americans off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid was the subject of an attack that caused damage while UN officials were there . The IDF added: “The terrorists fired mortar shells at the pier.” The Israeli army has withdrawn the Nahal Brigade from Rafah and this is seen as a signal that the ground offensive is about to begin. The international community, fearing a very high number of victims among Palestinian civilians, is trying to accelerate diplomatic action. Biden and the leaders of seventeen other countries (Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom) issued a message: «We ask the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for over 200 days. They include our own citizens. The fate of the hostages and the civilian population of Gaza, who are protected by international law, is a cause for international concern.”
FEARS
To hinder any agreement that leads to a stop in the fighting, the release of the hostages (those still alive should be in Rafah) in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and the sending of humanitarian aid, according to an American official cited anonymously by a reconstruction by Times of Israel, there is the obstinacy of Yayhya Sinwar, military leader of Hamas who is inside the Gaza Strip, in the underground tunnels. The political leaders in Doha were close to accepting the terms of the truce, but then the agreement fell through. The US official says: «Right now the truth is that there is an agreement on the table that satisfies almost all the requests made by Hamas. The opinion of the Egyptians, the Qataris and those who are quite deeply involved is that the response inside Gaza has not been constructive.” In summary: Sinwar doesn’t want any kind of deal.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Read the full article at
The messenger
