Israeli Hostage Crisis: The Conflict, Truce Attempts, and International Pressure – Sky News Arabia Analysis

2023-11-11 21:17:54

Although the war continued for its second month, amid categorical Arab and Islamic rejection of the violations, Israel pushed thousands of soldiers deep into the Gaza Strip, while artillery shelling and air strikes continued.

The Israeli infiltration into the Gaza Strip coincided with Western and American attempts to impose a humanitarian truce in the besieged Strip, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would not agree to a “temporary truce” in its war once morest Hamas without releasing the hostages held by the movement in Gaza.

The hostage crisis remains pending and a chronic headache in the head of the “right” that dominates the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, as it is one of the most important pressure cards in the hands of the Palestinian factions and Hamas, while Israel exercises a kind of superiority in dealing with Hamas and its conditions for releasing the hostages before any talk regarding a truce that will not happen. It is useful at this stage. Will the pressure succeed in reaching a satisfactory equation in the game of conditions between Israel and Hamas, which alone holds more than 200 hostages?

Absolute failure

The Turkish researcher specializing in international affairs, Firas Ridvanoglu, says that the right-wing government of Israel has completely lost its political future according to opinion polls and indicators of current events, especially since it is part of an “invincible army” propaganda system, and thus Netanyahu suffers an absolute failure in achieving a clear victory over Hamas movement and the Palestinian factions. This is matched by a firm desire to achieve what might be called “total victory,” represented by “no concessions,” the recovery of the hostages first before the truce, the elimination of Hamas and the armed factions, and the displacement of the Palestinians towards the south.

Firas Radwanoglu added, in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia, that hostages are the issue of the hour in Israel, especially since the families of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas have begun issuing foreign passports to them in an effort to advance efforts to release them, according to what the Israeli Broadcasting Authority announced.

Davutoglu refuted a number of indicators that indicate the failure of the Israeli game of conditions in favor of Hamas regarding the issue of hostages and the truce.

The Israeli negotiator adopts a decades-long historically failed theory once morest the Arabs: “seizing the pie without giving you a sandwich.” Israeli public opinion has become clear that the Netanyahu government has failed to reach a solution to the hostage crisis, despite the passage of a month. Hamas corrected the first mistake by announcing that it had risked the lives of some hostages as the Israeli bombing of Gaza continued. Hamas released prisoners on humanitarian grounds and others without conditions, which showed it in a stronger position and gained it more support.

Israel will not respond

Despite the Israeli conditions that there will be no truce or aid unless the hostages are released, Palestinian and Egyptian sources told Haaretz newspaper last Wednesday that Egypt is “close” to announcing a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of some hostages held by Hamas.

In a related context, the researcher specializing in international affairs, Ahmed Sultan, believes that the Israeli side will not respond to international pressure, especially American pressure, and will not pay attention to the Arab efforts made for a ceasefire, because he sees this as a strategic defeat and a major victory for the Hamas movement, and it will continue. In the war, as evidenced by the statements of Netanyahu and army commanders, which confirm that the truce will not take place before Hamas is eliminated.

Ahmed Sultan said in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia that there are major obstacles imposed by Tel Aviv towards the truce, including conditions it placed on the “neck” of the Israeli army itself to completely eliminate Hamas, which will not be done. The movement has strategic locations and many platforms, most of which are secret, and it will take months and perhaps years, which Tel Aviv will be unable to continue as a result of resistance, international pressure, and the economic crisis, as well as the voices of internal pressure rejecting the war.

Sultan added that Israel has a special strategy to deal with the hostage crisis in exchange for a truce.

The Tel Aviv government has put aside the hostage card since October 7, 2023. Restoring deterrence once more remains the first desire of Israeli leaders with American support. Israel considers surrendering to Hamas pressure on the issue of a truce in exchange for hostages “unacceptable.” Reports indicate that the American green light and broad Western support for Israel for more than a month is what gives it the rejection of the political exchange of “hostages for a truce.”

Earlier, the American Politico website confirmed that Israeli officials are cautiously optimistic regarding reaching a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, despite the continued fighting between the two sides for regarding 36 days.

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