Yesterday the joy for the agreement reached after long and exhausting negotiations, now the concern for possible violations. Tensions are high again between Israel and Hamas after almost 470 days of war: despite the white smoke over the agreement, Tel Aviv accused the Palestinian terrorist group of having reneged on parts of the agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was clear: “The cabinet will not meet until the mediators communicate that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.” Hamas’ response came through Izzat al-Rashak: “Committed to respecting the agreement”, veiledly accusing Netanyahu of having gone into reverse. But the climate is scorching to say the least.
Right now Mossad chief David Barnea and the Israeli negotiating team are still in Doha for define the details of the agreement of a ceasefire. Israel has insisted that there are still details to be worked out for the agreement to be approved, starting with the dispute over which Palestinian prisoners will be freed. Netanyahu has already made it known that he will address the nation only when it is finalized. It is no coincidence that the Israeli Security Cabinet which was supposed to meet this morning to give the formal green light to the agreement and which was then postponed, has not yet met.
There is also great debate within the Israeli government. According to a source very close to the dossier quoted by the public television Kan, the delay in the announcement on the ceasefire agreement and release of the hostages would also be linked to the crisis with the religious Zionist minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu’s efforts to ensure the integrity of the government after the deal was approved. According to the source, the offices of Smotrich and Netanyahu were very close to an agreement overnight but a crisis intervened and currently “Smotrich represents a real threat to the survival of the government.” The latter has highlighted that he will approve the agreement and remain in government only if Netanyahu promises to resume fighting to destroy Hamas after the first phase of the hostage agreement. The Finance Minister wants to receive the Prime Minister’s commitment in writing.
The truce should come into force on Sunday, but in this climate of uncertainty it continues battle on the field and the new Israeli raids in Gaza have sparked new vibrant controversies. The numbers released by the Gaza Ministry of Health will have to be confirmed in the next few hours, but for the moment there is talk of over 80 victims and almost 200 injured. Among the alleged victims were also two Palestinians who were in a school used as a refuge for displaced people, in the Zeitoun neighborhood, in the central part of Gaza. The number of people killed by Israeli attacks over the past day marked the highest daily death toll in 11 days, according to a CNN tally.
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