‘Tel Aviv is not safe’: Israeli analyst
Akiva Eldar, an Israeli political analyst, told Al Jazeera that the attacks on Tel Aviv buses have “paralysed public transportation” in the area on a busy, pre-weekend day.
“Many soldiers are coming back home for the weekend and nerves are on edge,” Eldar said.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen next with the captives. We hear different rumours about the plans that President Trump has in regard to Gaza, the relocation of people, and there is escalation in the West Bank and now what we are watching is that Tel Aviv is not safe.”
“The message that the Palestinians want to deliver is that as long as we’re not safe in Ramallah, and of course in Gaza, you Israelis cannot feel safe in Tel Aviv.”
“More and more Israelis have given up all their illusions about Netanyahu and security,” he added.
Israeli police inspect the scene of one of a series of bus explosions, which authorities say appears to be a militant attack, in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Thursday
Israeli army block access to areas in occupied West Bank
The move, which involves the closure of some checkpoints on roads heading into the West Bank, was announced by the Israeli military.
The army intensified “anti-terror” activity in the occupied West Bank, it added.
Timing of bus explosions raises questions ahead of Gaza ceasefire phase two
The timing of the bus explosions, right before the start of talks on the Gaza ceasefire agreement’s phase two, is noteworthy, Colin Clarke, director at The Soufan Center, has said.
“Many have speculated that the Israelis would go right back into full combat and conflict in Gaza after phase one, and have very little intention of following through on the rest of the deal,” Clarke told Al Jazeera. “This could be a message by a Palestinian group that if that happens, they can still make it quite painful for the Israelis,” Clarke said.
On the other side, Clarke noted, there are some speculating on how this was an Israeli attempt to derail the ceasefire talks by exploding these bombs, killing nobody, and then using that as a pretext to go back to war.
“So again, we don’t know a lot of the details … but this could be the opening salvo or the returning to what’s been a very long and bloody conflict,” he said.
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