In a recent telephonic conversation, President Joe Biden of the United States engaged with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire proposal and hostage exchange in the conflict-ridden Gaza, announced the White House.
The communication was subsequent to the unsuccessful Middle-Eastern journey embarked by Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, where no understanding could be reached between Israel and Hamas for peace in the Palestinian region. In collaboration with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, Mr Blinken had been relying on a US “bridging proposal” planned to reduce the divergence amidst the two parties involved in the year-long Gaza strife.
In their discussion, Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu focused on the ceasefire, the process of hostage decanting, and diplomatic approaches towards regional melancholy regression, as stated by a White House notification.
Kamala Harris, the US Vice President, who is scheduled to formally acknowledge her nomination as the Democrats’ Presidential candidate in the upcoming election on November 5th in Chicago, was also a part of this discussion.
Having not attained a breakthrough regarding the Gaza ceasefire and hostages’ reclaim, Blinken departed from the Middle East, leaving the area in a dire state yet again.
At present, US officials are attempting to organise more negotiations in Cairo in the following days. However, indications suggest that Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, has displayed disinterest in agreeing to any resolution at this point.
While discussing the possibility of peace, Netanyahu acknowledged the American “bridging proposals” offered to both sides to solve the dispute. However, Hamas officials were not in favour, accusing Washington of taking Israel’s side in the conflict.
In a meeting with right-wing representatives corresponding to the families of hostages and casualties, Netanyahu expressed uncertainty about the likelihood of any agreement being made. Regardless, he assured that Israeli forces would remain stationed along Philidelphi route, a narrow piece of land bordering Gaza and Egypt, and the Netzarim corridor that divides the coastal enclave.
All parties involved are cognizant of the fact that a deterioration of ceasefire discussions could heighten the enmity between Israel, Iran and Hizbullah, which could potentially engulf the entire region in a serious conflagration.
The northern border is presently in a state of high tension. Hizbullah has launched approximately 200 missiles towards Israel over the prior two days, with 50 aimed at Katzrin in the disputed Golan Heights on Wednesday. A pair of residences were obliterated, resulting in multiple individuals being wounded. Israel portrayed this as a non-discriminatory assault on civilians and swore to retaliate accordingly. Of late, Israeli forces have targeted Hizbullah weapons warehouses in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, a well-known Hizbullah bastion.
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defence Minister, is advocating for a truce and maintains that the military can cope with pulling out from the Philidelphi corridor. He emphasised to soldiers posted in the region that it is crucial to recognise the aims of the conflict, comply with all its objectives, consider both Hamas and the hostages, and to shift attention to the north. He further reported that over 150 tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border have been destroyed by the army and had overpowered the Hamas Rafah Brigade.
Reports from Palestinian insiders noted that Israeli aerial strikes in Gaza claimed a minimum of 50 lives within 24 hours after Mr Blinken left. Israel alleged that numerous militants were counted amongst the deceased. The Gaza health ministry, administered by Hamas, states that over 40,200 Palestinians have perished since the inception of the war on October 7th. Israel reported 1,200 fatalities with 253 hostages taken during the initial shocking Hamas assault on the aforementioned date. Of the remaining 105 hostages in Gaza, 34 have been confirmed dead by Israeli authorities.
The military discovered and subsequently repatriated the bodies of six hostages from a Khan Younis tunnel for funerals in Israel on Wednesday. When abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7th, all six were still alive. Certain family members openly criticised Mr Netanyahu, claiming that prioritising a ceasefire could have preserved their lives instead of maintaining his right-wing coalition.
The Hostages Families Forum along with the Gaza border kibbutzim announced their intention to abstain from the planned state commemorations for the October 7 events. Kibbutz Be’eri publicly voiced their opinion– “The government ought to concentrate on the hostages in Gaza rather than on those they left behind”.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.