Doubts grow about the possibility of a new truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza

Doubts about the possibility of reaching a truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza intensified this Monday, three days after the plan outlined by the US president to end almost eight months of war.

From the White House, President Joe Biden revealed on Friday a three-phase Israeli plan that would end the conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas, which has ruled it since 2007, is in power.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, insisted that Israel will continue with its offensive triggered by the Hamas attack on October 7 until reaching “all your goals”, including the destruction of the military and government capabilities of the Islamist group.

Israeli media have questioned the extent to which Biden’s speech and some key details were coordinated with Netanyahu’s team, such as the length of time the truce would last and the number of hostages released.

Qatar, the United States and Egypt, mediators in the war, urged Hamas and Israel on Saturday “finalize the agreement that incorporates the principles outlined by President Joe Biden.”

The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, congratulated Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by phone on Sunday for the plan and said it was Hamas’s responsibility to accept it, according to the State Department.

The bombings and fighting do not let up in Gaza, where the majority of its 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced and where humanitarian organizations warn of the risk of famine.

Intense fighting

The war broke out on October 7, when Hamas commandos killed 1,189 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data.

The militants also kidnapped 252 people. Israel claims that 121 remain captives in Gaza, of whom 37 have reportedly died.

In response, Israel promised “annihilate” to Hamas and launched an air and ground offensive that has so far left 36,439 dead in Gaza, according to the Hamas government’s Ministry of Health.

At least 19 people were killed in early morning shelling in the besieged territory, according to hospitals.

The Israeli army claimed on Monday that its forces had beaten “more than 50 targets in Gaza” in the last days.

According to the UN, more than 137,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged since the start of the conflict, equivalent to 55% of Gaza’s structures.

The fighting is currently focused on Rafah, the city in the extreme south of the territory that, according to the Israeli army, houses the “last battalions” of Hamas, classified as an organization “terrorist” by the United States, Israel and the European Union.

The Israeli army launched an offensive against this border town with Egypt on May 7, causing nearly a million Palestinians to flee, according to the UN.

Netanyahu under pressure

In Israel, Netanyahu, leading a fragile coalition government that is often described as the most right-wing in the country’s history, faces growing pressures.

Relatives of the hostages have demonstrated en masse in favor of a truce, but Netanyahu’s far-right allies threaten to blow up the government if it goes ahead.

According to Biden, Israel’s offer would begin with a six-week phase that would include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

Both sides would then negotiate a lasting truce, which will continue for as long as the negotiations last. Netanyahu stressed, however, that the “destruction” of Hamas was part of the plan outlined by Biden.