A reconciliation between Hamas and Israel has become unbearable. Now comes the hard part
The news of the long-awaited hostage exchange and ceasefire between the Palestinians and the Israelis shows mixed reactions.
As news of the deal spread across Gaza, there was joy and rejoicing that the destruction caused by Israeli bombs would finally end and that hundreds of thousands of displaced people would be able to return to their former neighborhoods, even if they were relocated. destruction.
According to United Nations estimates, more than two-thirds of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. Over the past 15 months, Israel’s relentless bombardment has also killed more than 46,500 people, according to Palestinian officials.
Festive events were also held in the West Bank under occupation amid claims of victory. Hundreds of Palestinians serving prison terms in Israeli prisons – some for violent crimes – will be released to return to their families, along with many others held without trial.
But there was no such euphoria on the streets of Jerusalem on Thursday morning. A group of protesters draped Israeli flags over coffins to symbolize hostages they say the deal is likely to leave behind in Gaza.
Canada’s Maureen Leshem tells The National she is waiting for the release of her cousin Romi Gone, who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova Music Festival in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Cabinet, which has yet to formally approve the deal, postponed the morning vote, accusing Hamas of reneging on the accord just hours after it was signed.
Under the agreement reached on Wednesday, 33 hostages will be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will withdraw from many areas in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to what is left of their homes, and humanitarian aid will increase.
For every Israeli hostage released, about 30 prisoners and detainees could be freed, up to 1,000 Palestinians. More than 60 Israelis are believed to be still alive and held captive in Gaza, but the first group to be returned from Sunday will only include the very young or the very sick and young women.
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The announced agreement divided the country.
Dahlia Sheindlin, a Canadian-Israeli pollster and political analyst based in Tel Aviv, told the BBC: “Israelis are very happy about the deal, but at the same time they are suffering and suffering because of it.”
Although he admitted that 33 hostages would be released in the first phase, “nobody knows if it will go to the second phase.”
A split between the families of the hostages
The only break in the war came in November 2023, when 105 prisoners were released by Hamas. But this truce was broken.
The break came after militants from Hamas and other groups in Gaza attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to the Israeli government. In the ensuing war, Israel says 405 of its soldiers died accidentally, either by execution or during Israeli attacks, as did some hostages.
Even before U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump issued statements this week that deservedly tackled the deal, there was widespread talk of betrayal in Israel. Israeli media published stories It claims there are secret deals between Netanyahu and his far-right allies to resume the war after an initial six-week lull and condemn the hostages to their fate.
After 15 months of bloodshed, Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire that would end the war in Gaza, release hostages and provide more aid to the Palestinians. But world leaders stress the importance of a long-term solution.
In Gaza, groups representing hostages’ families appear particularly divided. The largest Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which has taken over Tel Aviv Square over the past 15 months and held continuous rallies to keep the plight of their loved ones in the public eye, said, “We welcomed them with great joy and agreed to bring our loved ones home.”
But the Tikva Forum of Hostage Families condemned the deal.
“This agreement leaves behind dozens of hostages in Gaza,” the statement said. Urging the members of Netanyahu’s cabinet not to support the agreement, the organization said, “Don’t be part of a government that betrays them by leaving behind dozens of hostages.
Many Israelis share the fear that the chances of reaching Phase 2 of the deal are slim — either Hamas will renege on it or Netanyahu’s government will.
Under the terms of the three-phase agreement, talks on the release of hostages in Phase 2 would begin 16 days after Sunday’s implementation.
Although Hamas is weakened, it continues
The ceasefire will face major challenges if it is to return all hostages to Israel and return more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to their families.
Even as the deal was announced, Israeli warplanes continued to wreak havoc with strikes in Gaza City and northern Gaza on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, Palestinian doctors said.
In the last 15 months, Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that he will be satisfied with “total victory”. This meant the defeat of Hamas, freedom for the hostages, and the creation of conditions in which armed groups in Gaza could no longer attack Israel.
For many Israelis who woke up on Thursday morning, the agreement signed in Qatar fell short. Although Hamas has been greatly weakened and its top leadership killed, U.S. officials said Tuesday that the group has managed to recruit many new members to replace those it has lost.
Hamas said in a statement that “the ceasefire agreement and the end of the war in Gaza are considered an achievement for our people” and a turning point “on the road to freedom”. Iran’s rulers, who support Hamas, called it “Israel’s withdrawal.”
Even assuming both sides can move forward with Phase 2 of the deal, the Israeli government has refused to discuss what a key aspect of Phase 3 would be, a Palestinian government governing Gaza in the longer term.
Netanyahu has repeatedly and categorically ruled out a takeover of power in Gaza by either representatives of Hamas or the reformed Palestinian Authority, which is close to municipal status in the occupied West Bank.
With no mention of a Palestinian state or a commitment to end nearly six decades of Israeli occupation, the cease-fire may end the fighting immediately, but the broader conflict will continue.
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