Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire agreement in jeopardy Netanyahu inspects Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip After nearly two months of conflict between Palestine and Israel, the two sides brokered a four-day temporary ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar to allow for hostage exchange and humanitarian relief. However, the implementation of this agreement is not encouraging, with many differences and mistrust still occurring between the two sides, and there are still some violent incidents during the ceasefire, which have led to personnel and arrests. Against this background, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip on the 26th, his first inspection since the outbreak of the new round of conflict, and it was also a strong signal he sent to Hamas.
During his visit, Netanyahu announced his war goals and position to the domestic and international community through a ** issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. His goal, he said, is to "eliminate Hamas, bring all the hostages home, and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel." He also said he would "stay the course until victory" and said he had "the ability, strength, perseverance and determination" to achieve those goals. His remarks are undoubtedly a provocation and threat to Hamas, as well as a challenge and disdain to the international community. He does not seem to care about the existence of a ceasefire agreement, nor the possibility of peace, but only about his own interests and security.
At the same time, Hamas was not idle, and during the ceasefire, they continued the third round of hostage exchanges with Israel. According to Hamas, it said on the 26th that it had handed over 17 detainees to the International Committee of the Red Cross, including 13 Israelis, 3 Thais and 1 Russian. For its part, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that they had received 14 Israelis and 3 other national personnel. It is noteworthy that one of the 17 people is actually an Israeli with Russian citizenship. This shows that Hamas did not fully abide by the agreement in the hostage exchange, but was selective and reserved. Hamas is also reported to have about 200 Israeli hostages, including some military and civilians, while Israel is holding about 5,000 Palestinians, including some women and children.
Hamas said in a statement that it was seeking an extension of the ceasefire in order to secure more hostage releases and humanitarian relief. They also called on the international community, in particular the United States, to exert pressure on Israel to cease its military operations and blockade of the Gaza Strip. However, Biden did not give much support to Hamas, and when he communicated with Netanyahu on the 26th, he only expressed the hope that the ceasefire agreement could be extended in order to rescue more hostages and provide more humanitarian relief. Biden's position is undoubtedly a kind of connivance and appeasement of Netanyahu, as well as a kind of indifference and indifference to the Palestinians.
The United States is not the only intervener in the game between Palestine and Israel, and there are some other countries and forces that also play a certain role in the region. For example, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, allies of the United States, who have established diplomatic relations with Israel in recent years, have also expressed condemnation and concern about Israel's violence, and they have called on Israel to respect the rights and dignity of Palestinians and abide by international law and humanitarian principles. Iran, the adversary of the United States, is the main supporter and ally of Hamas, and they have provided Hamas with ** and money, encouraging them to resist and fight against Israel. In order to deter Iran, the United States dispatched the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group on the 26th through the Strait of Hormuz and into the waters of the Arabian Gulf, which is a military deterrent and political demonstration against Iran. However, such an approach could also exacerbate tensions in the region.