Positive mixed with negative
AP reported yesterday (February 9) that Israeli forces have withdrawn from a key corridor in the Gaza Strip. This is part of Israel's commitments under the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The previous day, Hamas announced it had released three Israeli hostages, and Tel Aviv had also begun freeing dozens of Palestinians in the latest phase of a ceasefire aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Under the 42-day Phase 1 agreement, which began on January 19, Hamas will gradually release 33 of the 96 Israeli hostages it is holding.
The Gaza Strip has been severely damaged after months of conflict.
However, alongside these positive developments, AFP reported on February 9th that Basem Naim, a Hamas official, warned that the ceasefire agreement was in "danger" and could collapse. In fact, on the same day, international media, citing several sources, reported that Israeli forces had raided a village in the West Bank. The consequences of that incident are unclear, but Israeli forces also carried out another raid in the West Bank, killing a young Palestinian man and a pregnant woman. The unborn child also died along with its mother.
The violent events occurring in the West Bank, which have harmed Palestinians, pose a risk of renewed tensions between Palestinians and Israelis.
Pressure from many directions
Regarding the Gaza issue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently sent a delegation to Qatar – a country playing a key mediating role in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. However, this Tel Aviv delegation consisted only of low-level officials, raising speculation that a breakthrough in extending the ceasefire agreement between the two sides is unlikely. Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to convene a meeting of key cabinet members soon to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire agreement. This will pose a significant challenge to the agreement.
According to the plan, the next phase of the agreement that the two sides are about to negotiate will include the condition that Israel withdraws all its troops from the Gaza Strip. However, Israel insists it will not agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas is completely neutralized militarily and politically . Conversely, Hamas maintains it will not hand over its last remaining hostages until Israel withdraws all its troops from Gaza.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Netanyahu is under heavy pressure from his far-right political allies to dismantle Hamas forces and to secure the return of Israeli hostages as soon as possible. The pressure on Netanyahu intensified after Hamas released three hostages on February 8th in very poor condition, shocking and outraged the Israeli public.
Moreover, President Donald Trump's "initiative" during his recent meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House has further escalated tensions in the region. Specifically, Trump's proposal to remove all Palestinians from Gaza and turn it into a resort area has met with strong criticism. King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasized that the proposal could be seen as an "ethnic cleansing of Gaza" and that it could incite a new generation of Palestinian resistance and cause further regional instability.
Commenting on the proposal, Jon Alterman, Director of Middle East Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, USA), remarked that this could be a tactic by Trump to shift responsibility to regional leaders seeking new solutions for Gaza to avoid tensions. However, this goal may be difficult to achieve, while renewed tensions are quite evident.
Iran is "ready to negotiate" with the US.
According to AFP, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media on February 8 that his country is ready to negotiate with the US. However, he also emphasized: "To lift sanctions, both sides need to negotiate, but not within the framework of a 'maximum pressure' policy, because if that were the case, it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender."
Earlier, on February 4th, US President Donald Trump announced he would "exert maximum pressure" on Iran.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoa-binh-gaza-truc-cac-thach-thuc-moi-185250209213747779.htm
Comment (0)