Last Saturday, during a visit to the country, US Middle East envoy
Steve Witkoff had said he was working with the Israeli government on a
plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.
But Israeli officials have also floated ideas including expanding the
military offensive in Gaza and annexing parts of the shattered enclave.
The failed ceasefire talks in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a
US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown
into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in
exchange for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.
After Netanyahu met Witkoff last Thursday, a senior Israeli official
said that “an understanding was emerging between Washington and Israel,”
of a need to shift from a truce to a comprehensive deal that would
“release all the hostages, disarm Hamas, and demilitarize the Gaza
Strip,” — Israel’s key conditions for ending the war.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday that the envoy’s visit was seen in Israel as “very significant.”
But later on Sunday, the Israeli official signalled that pursuit of a deal would be pointless, threatening more force:
“An understanding is emerging that Hamas is not interested in a deal
and therefore the prime minister is pushing to release the hostages
while pressing for military defeat.”
“Strategic clarity”
What a “military defeat” might mean, however, is up for debate within
the Israeli leadership. Some Israeli officials have suggested that
Israel might declare it was annexing parts of Gaza as a means to
pressure the militant group.
Others, like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir want to see Israel impose military rule in Gaza
before annexing it and re-establishing the Jewish settlements Israel
evicted 20 years ago.
The Israeli military, which has pushed back at such ideas throughout
the war, was expected on Tuesday to present alternatives that include
extending into areas of Gaza where it has not yet operated, according to
two defense officials.
While some in the political leadership are pushing for expanding the
offensive, the military is concerned that doing so will endanger the 20
hostages who are still alive, the officials said.
Israeli Army Radio reported on Monday that military chief Eyal Zamir
has become increasingly frustrated with what he describes as a lack of
strategic clarity by the political leadership, concerned about being
dragged into a war of attrition with Hamas militants.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment
on the report but said that the military has plans in store.
“We have different ways to fight the terror organization, and that’s what the army does,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said.
On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi
Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which included a call on Hamas to hand
over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Hamas has repeatedly said it won’t lay down arms. But it has told
mediators it was willing to quit governance in Gaza for a non-partisan
ruling body, according to three Hamas officials.
It insists that the post-war Gaza arrangement must be agreed upon among
the Palestinians themselves and not dictated by foreign powers.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar suggested on Monday that the gaps were still too wide to bridge.
“We would like to have all our hostages back. We would like to see the
end of this war. We always prefer to get there by diplomatic means, if
possible. But of course, the big question is, what will be the
conditions for the end of the war?” he told journalists in Jerusalem.
- Το ραδιόφωνο του ισραηλινού στρατού ανέφερε ότι ο στρατιωτικός αρχηγός Zamir έχει απογοητευτεί όλο και περισσότερο με αυτό που περιγράφει ως έλλειψη στρατηγικής σαφήνειας από την πολιτική ηγεσία.
- Ένας άνδρας κατηγορείται για φόνο τη Δευτέρα σε σχέση με τον θάνατο την Παρασκευή του 20χρονου Μοχάμεντ Αλ-Κασίμ στην αγγλική πόλη Κέιμπριτζ
- Η αστυνομία αντιμετωπίζει την επίθεση εναντίον του Σαουδάραβα πολίτη, ο οποίος βρισκόταν σε τοποθέτηση 10 εβδομάδων σε ένα γλωσσικό σχολείο στην πόλη, ως «απρόκλητη επίθεση»
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