In a psychological battle parallel to their intense war, Israel and the fundamentalist group Hamas are getting closer than ever to a humanitarian truce and the release of several dozen of the 239 kidnapped on October 7. The Army released images of two of them (which it identified from Nepal and Thailand) being transferred that day by armed forces to the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza where the ceasefire – if the agreement is confirmed – could influence the one that extends in the north. . This Sunday, the Israeli-Lebanese border was, once again, the scene of attacks and reprisals.
“We have not yet reached an agreement, but we continue to work hard for it,” said the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, responding to information from The Washington Post about an agreement in principle for a five-day truce in exchange for the release of 50 hostages (children and their mothers) in several phases and the increase in fuel entry into the Gaza Strip.
Qatar – a key player in the negotiation due to its relationship with Hamas – warned that the leaks could harm the negotiations but admitted that the pact is very close. So much so that now it is just a matter of overcoming technical obstacles. “The issues in dispute at this moment are more practical, logistical,” declared Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohamed Bin Abdulrahman al Thani. “There were ups and downs but I think now I have more confidence that we are close enough to reach an agreement that can bring people back to their homes safely,” he said at a news conference in Doha with the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, in which he denounced that the Israeli offensive “does not respect international laws, conventions and practices.” “Every minute that passes without an Israeli ceasefire, the humanitarian, moral and legal disaster continues to grow,” he added.
Last week, Israel rejected the Qatari proposal, on behalf of Hamas, since it did not include the release of children and their mothers at the same time. In the middle of a war, this is a very complex negotiation due to the clash of objectives, fears and interests. The connection line between Tel Aviv (Defense and Army headquarters), Gaza Strip (Hamas leader, Ismail Sinwar), Doha (headquarters of Hamas leadership abroad and main donor to the Palestinian enclave) and Washington (main ally of Israel and with excellent relations with Qatar) have not always been smooth due to events on the battlefront.
Furthermore, while in the war cabinet, meeting again tonight, there were doubts and divisions about which objective is a priority (freeing hostages or destroying Hamas), Sinwar is unpredictable. The Palestinian most wanted by Israel since the 7-0 defeat resumed the negotiation channel with Doha after several days of rupture in protest against the entry of Israeli soldiers into parts of the Al Shifa hospital.
The largest health complex in Gaza remains a major focus of attention and concern. On the one hand, and after several days of searches in which they showed an arsenal in one of the rooms, the Israeli Army showed images and a video of the interior of a “fortified” tunnel 10 meters deep and 55 meters long that leads to an explosive-proof door and a firing hole. According to Israel, he was discovered under a shed in Al Shifa next to a Nukba Unit vehicle containing weapons and explosives. “This tunnel shows that Hamas used this Al Shifa hospital as cover for infrastructure and terrorist activities,” denounced spokesman Daniel Hagari, accusing Hamas of killing one of the abducted women in the center.
On the other hand, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced the evacuation of the 31 premature babies who remained in the hospital. “Three doctors and two nurses accompany them. Their evacuation to Egypt is being prepared,” explained the general director of the hospitals, Mohamed Zaqout, in the morning, so that hours later the Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that they were transported in their ambulances heading south “in preparation for transfer to Emirates Hospital in Rafah.”
After making its first visit to Al Shifa, in which UNWRA also participated, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the soldiers guaranteed safe access for observers in a high-risk area, being very close to fighting. , and added that “they could only have been in the hospital for an hour, which they called the dead zone.” The WHO indicated that there were 291 patients in Al Shifa.
On the other hand, Israel and Hezbollah have been at war for more than 40 days without declaring it. On Sunday, the pro-Iran group took advantage of the fog on the Israeli-Lebanese border to significantly and simultaneously increase its shells and anti-tank missiles against positions in Israel, which responded with artillery and air strikes in a dynamic that has not yet turned into a confrontation. large scale as in 2006.