Israel comes to Cairo talks with ‘new red lines'
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been indications that Israel is looking to extend phase one [of the ceasefire] rather than commit to phase two, which would ultimately mean an end to the war.
We’re also hearing from Israeli officials who are speaking anonymously that this team in Cairo that was dispatched is there to see if there are any grounds for agreement to begin with.
This is because Israel says they have new red lines, new non-negotiables and things they are certainly not willing to concede on, especially when it comes to Hamas remaining in power in Gaza.
There’s also a school of thought as to why this humanitarian aid, like the caravans and the tents, is being blocked by Israel. That’s because it would solidify another end of the war for the Israelis.
It would mean they would be allowing Palestinians to essentially be resetting up homes and areas to live in when Israel knows that it’s going to go back to full-scale fighting.
So it’s unclear exactly what will happen within the next 24 hours because tomorrow is the last day of phase one of the deal.
Israel wants to extend phase one of Gaza ceasefire deal by over 6 weeks
Israel is not only trying to delay talks on phase two, but trying not commit to it altogether.
We are hearing reports that they are trying to extend phase one of the ceasefire agreement by upwards of six weeks, meaning another 42 days in order to secure the release of more Israeli hostages from Gaza.
Israel wants the extension without committing to a withdrawal of Israeli troops and without committing to an end of the aggression on the Palestinian territory.
This is, of course, something that is non-negotiable for Hamas who said that they are ready to show flexibility for phase two and release all of the remaining Israeli hostages in one large batch on the first day of that phase.
Israel aims to ‘derail negotiations or indefinitely postpone them’
Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Israel-Palestine with International Crisis Group, has told Al Jazeera that it is important to “be cautious” when exercising any optimism over phase two of the ceasefire deal.
She said Israeli politicians have made it “very clear that they’re not interested in a phase two”, adding that the Israeli public is also “not really interested in seeing a permanent cessation of hostilities”.
Mustafa said Hamas wants a cessation of hostilities and that is what the group is is trying to push for, despite the fact “that we’ve seen over 400 Israeli violations of what had been agreed upon, at least in phase one”.
“Yet, I think we have to expect that there are going to be limitations in terms of what Hamas could put up with”, she said, adding, “it’s very clear that Israel is still trying to find any excuse to continue its current onslaught”.
She said that Israel is trying to “build a case in order to either derail negotiations to phase two or indefinitely postpone them”.
Israel threatens a second Nakba, yet denies the first ever happened
Last month, Sufian Abu Ghassan joined hundreds of thousands of Palestinians defiantly trekking back to their battered neighborhoods after a ceasefire paused Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza.
The 70-year-old was relieved that Israel’s mass killing of Palestinians had stopped, for now.
However, he knew the mass destruction brought on by Israel’s war would make life difficult. His taxi business was destroyed, his home damaged, and there are hardly any provisions in Gaza, even drinking water.
At least he and his family had survived Israel’s carpet bombing and siege and starvation tactics and had returned to northern Gaza, the only home they ever knew.
Palestinians struggle to survive their daily lives in Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza.
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