2023-11-24 22:36:07
LOOK: Hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas: What does it say and who will be released?
Early on Wednesday the 22nd, the Israeli Government approved an agreement to stop the clashes for four days in which, in addition, 50 Hamas captive hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinians detained in Hebrew prisons.
Israel reported that for the release of every 10 additional hostages it would respect an additional day of pause.
It was also known that the agreement was reached thanks to the mediation of the governments of Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Neither of the two parties provided more details regarding the announcements made at the beginning of the day, but these demonstrate the fragility of the agreements in the midst of the fighting between Israel and Hamas since October 7.
El Comercio spoke regarding it with the international analyst Carlos Novoa.
– What changed in these days for this truce agreement between Israel and Hamas to occur?
That Hamas needs a little air, a little respite. The Israeli offensive has been quite strong, causing many civilian deaths but also reaching strategic positions for the Hamas leaders. The big difference with previous offensives is that Israel entered Gaza by land. And Hamas, for all its grandiloquent talk, has always taken into account that hostages are a valuable currency. That has facilitated the truce, the need for Israel to see at least 50 hostages released.
– Israel announced that it will extend one more day of truce for every 10 extra hostages that are released. Do you think that will lead to everyone being released?
No, I think it will be very limited. Israel may want that and it may sound reasonable, but Hamas is not going to want to show that it agrees with its enemy. They seek a maximalist negotiating stance, which will lead to tug-of-war once more. I believe that this will be a four-day truce and that will end there. Then the offensives will resume and a new scenario will be proposed for the possible release of more hostages.
– From the beginning, Israel has expressed that its objective is to eliminate Hamas. After the truce, would it continue with that goal?
Yes, because it is the only way in which the Hebrew state will be able to be relatively calm. I don’t know if they really achieve it, I think not; but the undeniable thing is that he is dealing strategically hard blows. Failure to completely defeat Hamas will leave it a dangerous space to rearm and that will lead us to what we have seen steadily over the last 15 or 20 years.
– What role do you think the negotiators had: Qatar, Egypt and the US?
Israel has had relations with Egypt since 1979 and there is the peculiarity that it shares the southern border of Gaza, so they have quite a bit of interference. Qatar is home to one of the top leaders in exile of Hamas, it is a small but very influential state that plays both sides. On the one hand it has great influence with Hamas, but on the other hand its diplomacy is quite close to Western countries due to economic and prestige interests. In the case of the US, it is Israel’s immeasurable ally that will ensure that Jewish interests are well taken care of.
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