‘Only way to solve conflict through ending occupation’
Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says after 15 months of war on Gaza, Israel has reached a “deadlock”.
“The Israelis can brag that they have changed the landscape of the Middle East, that they neutralised Hezbollah and ended the regime in Syria,” Qarmout told Al Jazeera.
“But again, they’re stuck with Hamas. They’re stuck with Palestinian politics. They’re stuck with occupation and the legacy of occupation,” he said.
“The only way to solve this conflict is through ending occupation and negotiations,” Qarmout added. “Force does not end it.”
‘Regional instability’ if Hamas stays in power, Israeli minister says
Gideon Saar says the government is committed to its goals, including releasing the captives and dismantling Hamas’s governmental and military capabilities.
“If Hamas will stay in power, the regional instability it causes might continue,” he said at a news conference.
Saar added there would be no future peace, stability, and security for both sides if Hamas continues to govern Gaza. If the international community wants a permanent ceasefire, he said, then it must include the “dismantling” of Hamas as a military power and ruling entity in Gaza.
“Theoretically, we can achieve it by an agreement, but that will be negotiated in the future during the first phase,” he said.
Israeli leaders pledged to destroy Hamas but failed to do so in more than 15 months of the war that’s killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians – the vast majority children, women, and the elderly.
‘This will be a pivotal moment to start to rebuild’
Libre Sankara, a logistics coordinator with the aid group Glia Equal Care, says the ceasefire is not a permanent solution to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
“The only solution is for the Zionist forces to end the 17-year occupation of the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire and any celebrations should not be confused. It is mourning over the lives lost and the destruction of homes,” he told Al Jazeera.
“We need resources and aid that has been intentionally blocked and against international law, and we need to demand accountability for the genocide the Palestinian people have endured.”
Sankara said the international community needs to halt weapons deliveries to Israel and instead start sending in food and fuel to Gaza.
“People are dying from things that are easily avoidable, that the Israelis have not allowed in. We’re talking about the development of Gaza being pushed back decades because of the destruction that has taken place. This will be a pivotal moment to start to rebuild, but we need an end to the occupation and the opening of all the land crossings.”
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