Israel was backed into a corner on the eve of its return to war because Hamas was forcing Netanyahu to honor the ceasefire deal he had signed. Confronted with his own internal political challenges, Netanyahu’s only choice was to blow up the deal.
Hamas said that it would release Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four deceased Israeli captives. The announcement has backed Israel into a corner in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Palestinians in Gaza’s border areas have continued to be killed and injured on a daily basis since the ceasefire began in mid-January. A resident of Shuja’iyya tells Mondoweiss, “The war has not stopped, quite the opposite. The war intensified.”
The Trump administration’s direct negotiations with Hamas have broken precedent and angered Israel. Envoy Adam Boehler defended them to CNN saying the U.S. is “not an agent of Israel,” but how much daylight exists between the allies?
While Israel and the United States are working together on a plan for Gaza, they have slightly different interests. This gap is opening space for regional Arab leaders to propose an alternative vision that avoids full-scale ethnic cleansing.
As the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire comes to an end it is clear the Trump White House has no substantive policy for the region. Israel is filling that vacuum with perpetual war.
Israel wants to drag out the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and eventually return to war, while Hamas wants to begin reconstruction as part of a second phase. This current impasse is bringing the fragile ceasefire to a dangerous crossroads.
Following tensions that threatened to unravel a tenuous ceasefire, Hamas released three Israeli prisoners after receiving guarantees from mediators that Israel would adhere to the humanitarian stipulations of the ceasefire agreement.
Trump is threatening to let “all hell break loose” after Hamas paused the release of Israeli captives in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire. But make no mistake, this is exactly what Israel wants.
Hamas says Israel’s delay in allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza is a breach of the ceasefire deal and is “a new war on the Palestinian people.” The group has delayed the release of more Israeli captives “until further notice.”