How the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is holding
Rights — di Leila Belhadj Mohamed
As the possibility of extending the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel remains open, attacks continue in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
How the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is holding
As the possibility of extending the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel remains open, attacks continue in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
- Ceasefire extended by a further two days thanks to mediation by Egypt and Qatar
- A United Nations peacekeeping mission convoy in southern Lebanon was struck on Saturday
- At least 8 Palestinians killed over the weekend in Israeli raids in the West Bank and moments of tension in East Jerusalem
Today, Monday 27 November, is the fourth and final day of the ceasefire that began on Friday between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar. From diplomatic quarters, however, it would appear that an extension of the pause may be on the cards. Israel is indeed coming under growing pressure to extend the ceasefire from Qatar, the United States and Egypt, as well as from the international community at large, even though its leaders have rejected any suggestion of a lasting halt to the offensive. In the afternoon, Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian State Information Service, reported that Doha and Cairo had mediated a two-day extension of the ceasefire, in exchange for the release of further hostages by Hamas, an agreement reached at 17:30 Italian time.
To keep this pause in fighting going beyond tomorrow is our goal – so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief to those in need.
The pause in the bombing allowed the release of numerous hostages and prisoners
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to Gaza City and declared that "nothing will stop us […] until victory", thus reaffirming his intention to press on with the offensive in the Strip. What is more, the Prime Minister also ordered the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad, to kill Hamas leaders wherever they may be. All of this will make mediation for an extension of the ceasefire even more complex, even though the Tel Aviv government's spokesperson left open the possibility of prolonging the pause in exchange for the release of a further 50 hostages.
Since Friday, Hamas has released 58 hostages, including citizens of Israel, Thailand, the United States and Russia, while the Tel Aviv authorities have released 117 Palestinians, women and minors, from their prisons. While the bombing of the Strip has stopped, it cannot, however, be maintained that the ceasefire has extended to all active fronts.
But the aggression within the Strip has not stopped
Under the terms of the agreement between Hamas and the Israeli army, Palestinian civilians were permitted to move freely along Salah al-Din Road, to evacuate the north of the Strip. An exodus of thousands of people who were only allowed to move southwards. No one, in fact, was permitted to return towards Gaza City. Sky News UK cameras filmed on Saturday 25 November, the second day of the ceasefire, Israeli snipers firing at head height at anyone who attempted to approach the checkpoint set up by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Several people were wounded.
The Palestinian Red Crescent stated that a Palestinian farmer was killed and another wounded on Sunday 26 November after being targeted by Israeli forces at the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
Another violation of the agreement concerns the question of the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Strip. The ceasefire was also meant to allow humanitarian convoys to enter the territory and bring fuel supplies to medical facilities that have been on the verge of collapse for weeks. However, Mohammed Zaqout, the director general of hospitals in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that no hospital in the north of the Strip has received fuel supplies.
Clashes continue in southern Lebanon
Following the announcement of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah spokespersons confirmed they would observe the ceasefire. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, clashes on the Lebanese border with Israel have caused nearly 50,000 displacements and at least 13 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, according to reports from the United Nations and Lebanese officials.
Despite Hezbollah's statements and the halt in clashes in southern Lebanon, on Saturday 25 November Hezbollah fired a rocket at an Israeli drone, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, stated that Israeli fire struck one of its patrols.
The West Bank and East Jerusalem
The territories of the West Bank are excluded from the ceasefire. Israeli forces operating in the occupied territories killed at least eight Palestinians within a 24-hour period, according to a report yesterday from the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health. Five Palestinians were killed in the Jenin refugee camp, while three others were killed in military operations in the village of Yutma, south of Nablus, in al-Bireh and in the town of Qabatiyeh. The victim in al-Bireh is a teenager.
Violence in the West Bank has escalated in the weeks following Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October. Israeli forces have killed at least 211 Palestinians, including 54 minors, and have arrested 3,200. It is not only IDF attacks that have intensified, but those of settlers too.
Another flashpoint is the Arab neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. On Friday 23 November, the first day of the ceasefire, Israeli forces restricted access to the Temple Mount for the sixth consecutive week, to prevent Palestinian youth from reaching Al Aqsa, amid moments of tension and the firing of tear gas.
While in the West Bank, particularly in Ramallah, we saw scenes of jubilation over the release of prisoners, celebrations were prevented in East Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities announced that the released prisoners are considered terrorists, as is anyone who celebrates their release.
The work of the international community, focused on Gaza, is, however, diverting attention from what is happening in the other occupied territories, where the Israeli military presence is heavy and, in addition to increased control over the spaces accessible to Palestinians, arrests are continuing — as happened last night when, following the release of 39 prisoners, 60 Palestinians were arrested.