Ceasefire, to be or not to be?
The Jerusalem Post issued an article on Tuesday April 2, 2019, stating that the head of Hamas’s “political bureau,” Ismail Haniyeh, announced they received Israel’s implemented timeline of understandings for a ceasefire from Egyptian intelligence officials. Haniyeh stated to Gaza City reporters he had given Egypt demands regarding Palestinian prisoners to relay to Israel. The demands included removing cellular jamming devices so the Palestinian prisoners could use their smuggled cell phones. He also demanded the Israel Prison Service stop their sanctions against Palestinian prisoners who had stabbed two Israeli guards in Ketziot Prison in the Negev two weeks ago. Hamas prisoners are also threatening to go on a hunger strike in response to the jamming devices and sanctions placed on them after the stabbings. On Monday April 1, 2019 sources close to Hamas reported U.N. Middle East representative Nickolay Mladenov met with Hamas officials to discuss the issue of the prisoners. According to those same sources, the Hamas officials warned Mladenov the harsh actions Israel took against the prisoners would have “grave repercussions.” Egypt and Qatar were asked by Hamas to intervene to stop Israeli measures against the prisoners.
Haniyeh did not give the reporters any other news about the understandings. Egypt’s negotiations between Israel and Hamas were meant to lead to a ceasefire in order to calm the rise of violence after a rocket was launched into Israel from Gaza damaging a home and injuring seven members of a family. Ma’an News Agency included reports of Israeli attacks on 30 buildings in Gaza which left 13 families homeless, which The Jerusalem Post does not, indicating the authors of the article only state Israel’s view on the events which led to ceasefire negotiations in the first place.
Palestinian sources stated the understandings included demands that have already been met, such as the expansion of the fishing zone as well as the reopening of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border between Israel and Gaza. Yet, in a Ma’an News Agency article from April 1, 2019, reported that Israel will increase in the expansion of the fishing zone in Gaza 15 nautical km, creating a 27 nautical km fishing zone to be used by Gaza fishermen. It also stated the Kerem Shalom and Erez border was reopened on Sunday. The Qatar funds were among the demands in the understandings between Israel and Hamas. According to Haaretz, Qatar has given Gaza $1 billion, with Israel’s approval, since 2012 for aid, fuel and government salaries. In November 2019, those funds were suspended, and Hamas started making threats of attack to Israel if they did not allow the funds to continue. Therefore, Israel is expected to continue allowing Qatari funds into Gaza from the Hamas-ruled cost.
Furthermore, Hamas denied a prisoner exchange for two Israeli citizens and the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in 2014 which was negotiated by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas official, Ismail Radwan stated the negotiations were intended to end “violations” against the prisoners. Haaretz reported that prisoners are in fact planning a hunger strike for next week but they reported the opposite in terms of who denied claims of a prisoner swap. They stated Israel is the one who denied these claims and that Palestinians and the prisoners expect an exchange to happen, again showing the authors from The Jerusalem Post are reporting one-sidedly. Radwan also denied the negotiations were for a long-term ceasefire but in fact were to consolidate the truce understandings from the 2014 Operation Protective Edge between Palestinian factions and Israel. An Israeli source stated the ceasefire was yet to be voted on. Education Minister Naftali Bennet and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked have already called for a meeting on the matter and have turned to Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit as well. Shaked has already made statements over Army Radio that there will be no ceasefire agreement with Hamas until they return the Israeli captives and that she and Bennett have also opposed humanitarian help until they comply. Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed are the two Israeli captives who have mental-illness and are believed to have accidentally walked into Gaza.
Leah Goldin, mother of IDF soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin who was captured and killed in Gaza in 2014, criticized Bennett for taking so long to retrieve her son’s body. She stated in an interview with Channel 10 news, Bennett was using “the blood of our sons” as a campaign gimmick. The Goldin family stated Bennett missed another opportunity to bring their son home, as hearing the reports from the media means the government did not actually make an agreement. Leah also stated Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, had made promises to them and the family of Oron Shaul that he would not partake in negotiations with Hamas until they returned the bodies of the IDF soldiers. Both boys were captured and killed in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, their bodies never returned. Their families continue with protests and beg the government to find a way to bring them home. In a radio interview, Aliyah and Integration Minister Yoav Gallant responded to Leah Goldin’s interview stating they always demand the return of the boys, but that it takes time.
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