US high diplomacy returns to Israel. This Monday the president’s son-in-law and advisor Donald Trump, Jared Kushnerand his special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoffhave met with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Much of their meeting at the president’s residence in Jerusalem focuses on the ceasefire status in Gazawhich turns one month old this Monday, and efforts to rescue the remaining dead hostages, according to the prime minister’s office. Currently, there are still four bodies of captives in the Palestinian enclave, while negotiations continue stagnant for the advancement of the next phases.
Another of the thorny issues they are dealing with is the safe passage of some 200 Gazan militants that are found trapped in the tunnels of areas of Gaza under control of the Israeli army. Türkiye It is mediating so that they can be transferred alive to areas without the presence of troops. The Israeli Army would have found a stronghold in the east of Rafahsouth of the enclave, which contains about 150 fighters from Hamas. Washington is pushing for Tel Aviv to accept a plan, devised by Turkish intelligence, in which the gunmen hand over their weapons to a mediating country and abandon their tunnels, which will be demolished.
This first release could be a precedent for the disarmament of the entire groupbut it is difficult for the Netanyahu Government and its far-right allies to accept it, because it would be seen as a humiliation very far from the “total victory” that they have defended as a goal since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. However, the truce already exceeds its first month in forceand there are still many issues to be discussed, such as the complete disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the reconstruction or the establishment of a stabilization force in the enclave. Last Wednesday, Mussa Abu Marzuka leading Hamas figure abroad, expressed a willingness to discuss disarmament of the group’s rocket arsenal, of which little remains anyway.
Progress on the ground
However, in parallel, both sides have been advancing. Hamas quickly regained control of the areas from which the Israeli Army withdrew, and in which the Palestinian militia remains with a stronghold. strong presence. Almost all of the hostages have already returned, waiting to find the bodies of the last four captives. During the first day of the truce a month ago, they freed the last 20 live hostagesand most of them left the hospital in just days. Israeli troops, for their part, continue demolishing infrastructure on their side of the so-called Yellow Linewhich they have begun to delimit to prevent the Palestinians of Gaza from accessing that 53% of the territory.
In addition, the military authorities have announced that a military exercise has begun this Monday morning and will last for three days throughout the Occupied West Bankwhere an increase in the movement of security forces and aircraft in the area has been recorded. At the same time, a tense week is expected in Israeli politics. The far-right party of the finance minister, the settler Bezalel Smotrichhas threatened Netanyahu that he will stop voting with the coalition until a bill is approved that will give tax benefits for reservists of the Army. The latest polls for next fall’s elections predict that his party, the Religious Zionismdo not pass the electoral threshold.
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