As an uneasy truce between Israel and Hezbollah offers the Lebanese a desperately needed reprieve, Palestinians in Gaza feel abandoned, even as the US pushes for a renewed effort to end the fighting in the enclave. <\/p>\n
For almost a year, Hezbollah vowed not to stop battling Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. In September, Israel stepped up its campaign against the Lebanese militant group, assassinating its top brass and launching a ferocious aerial and ground operation into southern Lebanon, which forced Hezbollah to abandon its condition for a ceasefire. <\/p>\n
\u201cGaza is left alone. Hezbollah has its own calculations to abandon Gaza to preserve what was left of its forces\u2026 it\u2019s not to our advantage,\u201d said Hatem Mohamed, 47, a resident of Gaza City. \u201cThis agreement will allow Israel to only focus on the Palestinians and what is left of the Palestinian cause.\u201d <\/p>\n
Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages have been deadlocked for months, with both sides refusing to compromise on their demands. <\/p>\n
Qatar, a key mediator in previous Gaza ceasefire negotiations, stepped back from its role this month and shut Hamas\u2019 political office in the capital Doha after concluding that the two sides are no longer negotiating in good faith. Turkey, which has ties to Hamas, dispelled reports that the group\u2019s bureau had been relocated to the country, but said that Hamas officials come and go from the country on a regular basis. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think a ceasefire in Lebanon has changed much for the dynamics of a Gaza ceasefire,\u201d said Tahani Mustafa, senior Palestine analyst at International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank. <\/p>\n
\u201cBoth sides have mutually exclusive demands and there\u2019s no pressure on Israel to really scale back and start taking the negotiation seriously. Israel wants to destroy Hamas, keep troops on the ground and potentially resettle in the north, which is unacceptable to Hamas,\u201d she said. \u201cHamas wants a total cessation of hostilities, return of people to their homes in the north and no Israeli ground presence\u2026that\u2019s completely unacceptable to Israel.\u201d <\/p>\n
Despite the setbacks, Israeli and American leaders have signaled that the Lebanon truce may present an opportunity to move forward with a ceasefire in Gaza. <\/p>\n
The outgoing Biden administration maintains that there might now be \u201cnewfound opportunity\u201d to drive forward a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. <\/p>\n
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the conditions to reach a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza \u201chave improved,\u201d but maintained that he will not agree to the end of Israel\u2019s war in the enclave, as Hamas has not yet been dismantled. <\/p>\n
\u201c(I\u2019m) ready for a ceasefire at any moment. But ending the war, I\u2019m not ready for that, because we also need to achieve the elimination of Hamas,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the US will \u201cmake another push\u201d with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, to release the hostages and \u201cend the war without Hamas in power.\u201d Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament Wednesday his country was ready to contribute in \u201cany way possible.\u201d On Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi met in Cairo to discuss ceasefire efforts. <\/p>\n
Hamas said Wednesday it is committed to cooperating with \u201cany efforts\u201d to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza after a truce was reached in Lebanon but reiterated its demand for Israel\u2019s complete withdrawal from Gaza, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the return of Gazans to their homes. <\/p>\n
More than 250 people were taken hostage and about 1,200 killed during the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The following month, more than 100 hostages were released as part of a short-lived hostage-and-ceasefire deal. Since then, a handful of hostages have since been rescued by Israeli forces. Of the 101 hostages believed to still being held in Gaza, at least 34 are thought to be dead. <\/p>\n
Jihad Abu Yasser, a 26-year-old baker who lives in northern Gaza, called Hamas\u2019 negotiation tactics \u201ca failure,\u201d saying the hostages alone were no longer sufficient leverage in talks with the Israelis. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe remained stubborn until half the hostages died, and we are negotiating with a losing card\u2026 We have maybe less than 70 hostages alive. If the war continues and we are stalling, and the (Israelis) are stalling, the hostages will die, which is our (leverage) card,\u201d he said, adding that most Gazans feel that way. \u201cAll are saying: What are we negotiating over?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are saying if Hezbollah finished (their war) then God-willing we are close (in Gaza)\u2026These are lies,\u201d Abu Yasser said. \u201cFor the love of God, stop, stop, stop (the war).\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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