No prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza

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No prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza

The Gaza war has been raging for 15 months now. Talks about a ceasefire and the release of the hostages appear to be stuck again. Meanwhile, the killing continues.

As Israel’s army increases pressure on the Islamist Hamas in the coastal strip 15 months after the start of the Gaza war, talks about a ceasefire appear to be at an impasse again. According to several Israeli officials, Hamas continues to refuse to provide Israel with a list of the hostages still alive, the Times of Israel reported. According to the Wall Street Journal, Arab mediators expect that both sides will not return to the negotiating table until after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

Meanwhile, Israel’s army continues to take massive action against Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that 15 people, including several children, were killed in the bombardment of a residential building in the town of Jabaliya. When asked, the Israeli army said fighter jets had attacked and killed Hamas fighters in a building. Measures had previously been taken to prevent harm to civilians as much as possible. None of the information could be independently verified.

According to a media report, Israel’s top military lawyer warned that the army sometimes underestimates the number of civilians in certain areas when carrying out attacks in the Gaza Strip. More caution is necessary, wrote Major General Jifat Tomer-Jeruschalmi, according to the army broadcaster, in a strongly worded letter to the responsible commander Jaron Finkelman. Around 14,000 civilians fled Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. The military had previously only expected 3,000 people in the area.

Israel’s army said it carried out more than 1,400 air strikes against targets in Gaza in December alone. These included fighters from Hamas and allied groups, tunnels, observation and sniper posts and weapons depots, the military said on its website. The army always emphasizes that it is doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties. Because of the high number of civilian casualties, the Israeli government and the armed forces it commands have come under heavy international criticism.

According to Palestinian figures, more than 45,500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began following the unprecedented Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 dead. However, the number, which cannot be independently verified, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

For months, the USA, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate a ceasefire and the release of around 100 hostages still believed to be in the Gaza Strip, many of whom are probably no longer alive. There had only recently been signs of a possible agreement. But according to media reports, Hamas renewed its call for an end to the war, which Israel rejects.

The Islamists have not yet provided the mediators with a complete list of all hostages. Hamas reportedly said that more time and a break in fighting would be needed to find out their whereabouts and state of health. Some hostages are said to be held by other terrorist groups. However, Israel does not believe Hamas’s claim that it is unable to provide a list of hostages, the Times of Israel reported.

The Palestinian Authority has meanwhile banned the Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera and its employees from operating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “The decision came after Al-Jazeera continued to broadcast inflammatory material and reports that misled the public, sowed discord and interfered in Palestine’s internal affairs,” Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted the Palestinian Authority as saying in a statement.