Only a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, reached as a result of the negotiations expected tomorrow, would prevent Iran from retaliating against Israel for the assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas" Ismail Hania on its territory, Reuters reported, citing the authorities in Tehran.
A senior Iranian security official has said that his country, along with its allied Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah, will launch a direct attack if talks in Gaza fail or if they judge that Israel is delaying the talks.
In view of the increased risk of a larger war in the Middle East after the murders of Haniya and the top military leader of “Hezbollah” Fuad Shukr, in recent days, Iran has been conducting an intensive dialogue with Western countries and the United States to determine the scale of the retaliatory measures it will take.
Thus along with the suffering of the hostages that “Hamas” holds, as well as the hunger, disease and destruction that threaten almost all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip because of the hostilities, the stakes for a quick end to the hostilities are raised even higher, world agencies comment.
For most of the past month, reports have circulated that a ceasefire in Gaza is close. The war has created great costs for Israel and caused massive destruction in Gaza, John Alterman, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Middle East Program, commented in his publication in the online edition of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In his words, the positions of the two sides are overcome, so the main mediators - the United States, Qatar and Egypt - called on the parties to meet tomorrow to reach an agreement.
Even if the meeting is likely to take place, there is still no strong public evidence that either side's leadership believes the war is over, Oltermann noted.
After the death of at least 93 people in an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza on Saturday, “Hamas” signaled that he agrees to a ceasefire agreement, CNN reported. However, the group indicated that it will not send its representatives to tomorrow's meeting and insisted that the negotiators stick to the plan of US President Joe Biden, proposed last month.
"Out of concern and responsibility for our people and their interests, the movement requires the mediators to submit a plan to implement the project that was presented to the movement and agreed upon on July 2, 2024, based on Biden's proposals and the UN Security Council resolution. (We urge the negotiators) to force the occupiers to accept it, instead of reaching new rounds of negotiations or new proposals," Hamas said in a statement.
Israel, for its part, told Reuters it would send its delegation to the talks tomorrow. Despite the willingness to talk, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has added five new conditions to Israel's demands that could derail the peace process, the New York Times reported, citing documents detailing the negotiations. demands of the Israeli government.
Among other conditions, the latest document presented to mediators in late July proposed that Israeli forces retain control of the Gaza Strip's southern border with Egypt, a detail that was not included in Israel's May proposal. when it was promised a "withdrawal of Israeli forces east of the densely populated border areas in all areas of the Gaza Strip".
Also, for months Israel has said it would only agree to a cease-fire if its soldiers could check returning Palestinians for weapons as they moved from southern to northern Gaza. Then, in its May proposal, Israel still insisted on a ban on weapons possession, but softened its demand by removing the express condition that Israeli forces conduct inspections. This made “Hamas“ to agree, noted “New York Times”. Israel's July letter, however, reopened the issue of the law's implementation, stating that screening of people returning to the northern part of the country would have to be "carried out in an agreed manner".
Netanyahu's Israeli critics have accused the prime minister of stalling the talks as his new terms risk derailing them at a time when a deal looks within reach. Some of them argue that he is prioritizing the stability of his coalition government over the freedom of the hostages. His slim majority in parliament depends on several far-right MPs who have tied their support for his government to preventing a ceasefire.
In a statement to the “New York Times” however, Netanyahu's office denied adding new conditions and emphasized that the new political leader of “Hamas“ Yahya Sinuar “was and remains the only obstacle to a deal with the hostages”.
Described as hard-line and strict, the election of Sinwar, whom Israel considers the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, did not appear to bode well for the continuation of peace talks with Israel, which were led by his slain predecessor Ismail Haniyeh, world media reported.< /p>
„Hamas“ remains unwavering on the battlefield and in politics," he emphasized to the Qatari TV channel "Al Jazeera". Osama Hamdan, spokesman for the group. “The man who leads today is the one who fought for more than 305 days and is still steadfast on the battlefield,”, he added.
Since October 7, Sinwar has also been the number one target on Israel's list. "The appointment of the inveterate terrorist Yahya Sinuwar as the new leader of Hamas, in place of Ismail Haniya, is another convincing reason for his quick elimination and erasure of this heinous organization from the face of the Earth," he wrote on the social network. Ex“ Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, immediately after his election.
"(Sinouar) was and remains the main deciding factor when it comes to concluding a truce," US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also said. "(He) will decide whether to continue with the ceasefire, which will obviously help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who have been caught in the crossfire ... That's really up to him," he added. he.
Israeli and American intelligence say that Sinwar's strategy is to prolong the war in Gaza as long as necessary to damage Israel's international reputation and worsen its relations with its main ally - the United States, writes “New York Times“, but "Al Jazeera" reports that analysts say even under his leadership peace is still possible.