Having Failed Militarily, Israel Proposes Disadvantageous Truce Deal

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Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant

The partial results of the current conflict in Gaza are definitely not in favor of Israel. The Zionist state is being pressured to negotiate a new ceasefire agreement with Palestinian forces due to the high number of losses on the battlefield, which shows how Netanyahu’s decision to launch an all-out war was anti-strategic and seriously harmed the country.

According to Axios newspaper, the Israeli government recently offered Hamas a new pause in hostilities in exchange for the release of all remaining prisoners. Unlike the previous time, the new proposal established an extended pause of up to 60 days without fighting. The data was shared with journalists by two unidentified Israeli officials, allegedly familiar with the topic.

Sources claim that the plan was approved by the Tel Aviv’s War Cabinet in early January and was sent to Hamas through Qatar and Egypt. In addition to the ceasefire, the project includes a series of other measures, such as the withdrawal of IDF troops from the most populated regions of Gaza – thus allowing some families to return to their homes. Hamas would also have the right to negotiate how many Palestinian hostages it would demand in exchange for each Israeli prisoner.

“Under the proposed deal, Israel and Hamas would agree in advance on how many Palestinian prisoners would be released for each Israeli hostage in each category and then separate negotiations on the names of these prisoners would take place, the officials said. The Israeli officials said the proposal includes Israel redeploying Israeli Defense Forces so that some would be moved out of main population centers in the enclave and allowing a gradual return of Palestinian civilians to Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip as the deal is being implemented. The Israeli officials said the proposal makes clear Israel will not agree to end the war and will not agree to release all of the estimated 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons,” Axios’ article reads.

The terms, as can be seen, seem in some ways more favorable to the Palestinian Resistance than to Israel. In addition to the extended ceasefire and the possibility of returning some Palestinian civilians to their homes, Hamas would also have the power to choose to request a large number of Palestinians for each Israeli citizen – although Tel Aviv’s authorities are definitely not willing to release all their thousands of Palestinian hostages at once. However, contrary to what Israel expected, there has so far been no acceptance from Hamas, leaving the proposal still unanswered.

The sources stated that they are “optimistic” about the success of the agreement, but there is no information about Hamas’ approval yet. This delay is a bad sign for Israel, because it basically means that it is Hamas, not Tel Aviv, the side in a position to think about the terms of an agreement. In other words, the Palestinian fighters are showing that they are not desperate for a truce, feeling safe with their current situation in the conflict.

Meanwhile, clashes continue on the streets of Gaza, with Israel suffering substantial losses, such as the recent incident in a building hit by a Hamas missile, killing at least 21 IDF fighters. The frequency of Israeli deaths appears to be the main reason why Tel Aviv is giving in so much on its proposed deal – clearly, Israel is not able to continue fighting on a protracted basis, having to reach a pause deal as soon as possible.

It must be emphasized that the problems arising from such a pause could be even greater. Obviously, the soldiers’ return to the battlefield after two months of interruption would not be easy. After the withdrawal of Israeli troops from their current positions, Hamas would occupy these locations and make them hostile to IDF soldiers – creating minefields and military traps. Axios’ sources admitted such difficulties in their interview, but stated that Israeli authorities are still willing to implement the agreement. It is also said that the American authorities are supporting the measure, with the ceasefire being of international interest.

“White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday that President Biden supports a pause in the fighting that would enable the release of hostages and the entry of more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israeli officials said they are ready to release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners if Hamas agrees to the offer. They admit if the deal is implemented, IDF operations in Gaza would be significantly smaller in scope and intensity after the two-month pause in fighting,” the article adds.

This fact shows the reality that some pro-Zionist analysts have tried to disguise in recent months: Israel is not being able to achieve its objectives in the conflict. The IDF failed to release Israeli prisoners and now Tel Aviv has no alternative but to negotiate a prisoner exchange which is numerically favorable for the Palestinians. In the same sense, the international unrest generated by the massacre of civilians in the Strip is leading even Israel’s closest allies to put pressure on the Zionist state to advance ceasefire talks.

In practice, this is further evidence that the decision to launch an all-out war in Gaza was wrong and damaged Israel itself much more than Hamas.

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