Joe Biden appears to be pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. ‘My hope is that by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire,’ the US president said yesterday. Hamas has said the comments are ‘premature’ and Israeli sources have reportedly said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised by Biden’s remarks. Pressure for a ceasefire would benefit Hamas, which has been demanding a stop in the fighting since mid-October after it attacked Israel and massacred 1,000 people and took 240 hostages.

Hamas’ approach in this latest conflict is nothing new: it has often sought to leverage the suffering of Gazan civilians, which it hides behind to fire rockets and build tunnels, to push for ceasefires after carrying out attacks. This has been Hamas’ model for decades. It has honed this strategy, and historically has used pauses in fighting to rebuild its arsenal of rockets. It’s worth recalling that Hamas illegally took over Gaza in 2007, ejecting the Palestinian Authority, and then used Gaza to stockpile weapons and launch attacks. This has resulted in numerous conflicts with Israel, in 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2021.

Israel has said since 7 October that Hamas will not be allowed to once again dictate the tempo of this conflict. When Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage and prisoner exchange on 24 November, Israel referred to this as a pause in fighting, not a ceasefire. Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in November that ‘this will be a short respite after which the fighting will resume with intensity and pressure to bring back more hostages. At least two more months of fighting are expected.’

Hamas decided to attack Israel

In the two months since the first pause ended on 1 December, Israel has achieved more goals in Gaza. It has defeated an estimated 18 of Hamas’ 24 battalions.

QOSHE - There should be no ceasefire in Gaza - Seth J. Frantzman
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There should be no ceasefire in Gaza

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27.02.2024

Joe Biden appears to be pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. ‘My hope is that by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire,’ the US president said yesterday. Hamas has said the comments are ‘premature’ and Israeli sources have reportedly said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised by Biden’s remarks. Pressure for a ceasefire would benefit Hamas, which has been demanding a stop in the fighting since mid-October........

© The Spectator


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