Israel says ready to restart war after hostage releases

2023-11-26 19:58:59

Published on Nov 26, 2023 at 6:09 p.m.Updated Nov. 26, 2023 at 8:58 p.m.

After fifty days and nights of hell in tunnels, 39 Israelis – women and children – were released in three stages since Friday by Hamas following an agreement with the Jewish state reached through the intermediary of Qatar. If all goes according to plan, another group of Israelis taken hostage during the bloody October 7 incursion by Hamas commandos into southern Israel should be released on Monday.

In addition, 17 foreign nationals – notably Thai, Filipino and Russian – have also found freedom since Friday. In exchange, a total of 150 Palestinian prisoners, women and minors held by Israel, are expected to be gradually released by Tuesday.

The biggest unknown now concerns what is likely to happen from Tuesday. It is in fact on this day that the truce in fighting expires, which has left nearly 15,000 Palestinian dead and untold devastation in the Gaza Strip. Joe Biden says he wants the truce in Gaza to continue “beyond [lundi] ».

For its part, France hopes that the truce in Gaza lasts until the release of “all the hostages,” declared its Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Sunday. “We demand the release of our hostages and all the hostages,” said the head of French diplomacy on BFMTV. “It would be good, useful and necessary for the truce to be extended for this purpose,” she added, assuring that she had “good hope” that French hostages would be released, at a time when calls for an extension of the truce between Israel and Hamas are multiplying.

“Nothing will stop us”

On paper, the ceasefire might be extended by one or more days if Hamas agrees to release 10 additional hostages daily. In the event that Hamas fails to reach this quota, the Israeli chief of staff, General Herzi Halevi, has already set a date: “We will take advantage of this break to improve our capabilities and rest A little. But we will immediately reattack Hamas in order to exert the strongest possible pressure and obtain the rapid release of all the hostages. »

We continue until victory

Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister

After having devastated the north of the Gaza Strip, the IDF has decided to massively shell the south of the enclave which has been relatively spared until now. These threats were also brandished by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose declared ultimate objective is to eradicate the power that Hamas has exercised unchallenged in the Gaza Strip since 2007.

“We continue until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us,” declared the head of the Israeli government from the Gaza Strip where he was visiting for the first time since the start of the war. And to explain: “We have three goals in this war: to eliminate Hamas, to bring back all of our abductees and to ensure that Gaza does not become a threat to Israel once more. »

100,000 Israelis gathered Saturday evening

The whole question is whether such an ambition is realistic. Israel risks finding itself more isolated than ever on the diplomatic front in the event of a resumption of fighting.

Antony Blinken, the American Secretary of State, is due to make another visit to the Jewish state this week. In recent days, he has repeatedly insisted on the need to do everything possible to free hostages, including nine American nationals, and to urgently deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government is also being put on the defensive within its borders by the campaign launched by the families of the hostages. More than 100,000 Israelis gathered Saturday evening near the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to demand the release of all hostages. The releases were received with relief and deep emotion, including among the relatives of those remaining in the hands of Hamas.

Bitterness

For the moment, the national political consensus is holding strong. The leader of the centrist opposition Yair Lapid, for example, gave his support to the agreement with Hamas. Only Itamar Ben Gvir, the Minister of Internal Security and leader of a far-right party, denounced this arrangement which he described as “moral bankruptcy”.

But a certain bitterness is perceptible in society. Many Israelis have the impression that Hamas, despite the very hard blows dealt to it and the elimination of several thousand of its fighters, continues to lead the game.

Several editorialists believe that Israel has fallen into a trap set by the Islamists, who risk taking advantage of the ceasefire to drag things out and also prepare for a new round of fighting. “Talking regarding the collapse of Hamas in these conditions,” underlines the daily ‘Yediot Aharonot’, “is wishful thinking rather than an objective vision. »

1701029392
#Israel #ready #restart #war #hostage #releases