Middle East: ceasefire between …

Hesitant hopes for a ceasefire in the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas, one of the most violent in recent years, have been bolstered by signs of death and destruction. they could end under international pressure.

The Israeli army carried out around 15 strikes in Gaza early Thursday morning and Hamas responded with rocket fire. But this was followed by a long cessation of military action, with the exception of isolated incidents.

The acceleration towards a possible truce came after Joe Biden told the Israeli prime minister on Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu, who wanted “a significant de-escalation on the road to a ceasefire”. The president of the United States, Joe biden He had been criticized, even from his own Democratic Party, not to mention the fact that the death toll continued to rise.

On Wednesday, the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire. It was the fifth time he had prevented the Council from issuing a declaration calling for an end to hostilities, while Washington argued that it would hamper its own attempts to end the war.

US officials insisted that this was not just rhetoric and that they had been actively and actively involved behind the scenes. The phone call comes in Biden and Netanyahu, They pointed out that it was the fourth in a week.

As part of the international campaign for a ceasefire, the German Foreign Minister, Heiko maas, was due to meet with Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Ramallah and Jerusalem on Thursday. The UN envoy for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, had met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, in Qatar on Wednesday.

The first public indication of a breakthrough came after Moussa Abu Marzouk, The vice chairman of the Hamas political bureau said the “ongoing efforts” were close to success. “I hope that a ceasefire will be reached in a day or two, and the ceasefire will be based on mutual agreement,” he said. Al-Mayadeen television in Liban.

Netanyahu said he was “determined to continue” until “the calm and security of Israeli citizens is restored.” And the Israeli Minister of Intelligence, Eli cohen, dismissed reports of a ceasefire before the weekend, saying “we will end the operation when we decide we have achieved all of our goals.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that those involved in the negotiations believe the final truce can be consolidated this weekend. A former senior Israeli security official said The independent: “I believe that we have largely achieved our military objective in the general settings – and they were quite wide – that the security cabinet gave us, it’s a political decision now and the feeling is that there will probably be a ceasefire, but there are some issues that need to be addressed. “

Among the issues under discussion are believed that Hamas is calling on Israel to stop targeted assassinations of Hamas commanders and Israelis demanding that Hamas stop building its underground tunnels, stop rocket attacks and border protests. . The return of two Israeli civilians held by Hamas and the repatriation of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers are also under discussion. Longer term, Israel urged to ease supply of goods to Gaza and ease trade restrictions.

Israeli forces have regularly carried out “beheading” campaigns against Hamas in Gaza, and this has also been a central issue in the current conflict. Egyptian officials, who act as mediators, said had difficulty contacting Hamas leaders because they had gone underground and could not be reached on their cell phones.

The latest round of airstrikes on Thursday targeted a house in the Khan Younis area. The Israeli government claimed that there was “military infrastructure” located near the building.

Israeli officials declined to comment on claims some of the latest attacks were a “last ditch attempt” at elimination Mohammed deif, Hamas military commander Khan Younis, who escaped several attempts to kill him. However, on Wednesday, Brigadier General Hidai Zilberman, an IDF spokesman, said that “throughout the operation we tried to assassinate Mohammed Deif.”

The Hamas commander, a longtime opponent of Israel, has been a frequent target. Attempts to assassinate him included the bombing of his home in Gaza’s Sheikh Radwan district during the 2014 conflict. One of his wives, Widad, 28, and their young son, Ali, were killed in the attack..

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 230 Palestinians have died since the start of the conflict, including more than 100 women and children. The IDF says 150 of the dead were fighters. Hamas rocket attacks killed more than a dozen people in Israel, including two children.

Of The independent From Great Britain. Special for Page12

Translation: Celita Doyhambéhère