The dispute between Israel and Hamas over the “post-war” situation is likely to reignite
The real differences between Israel and Hamas, which threaten the truce and threaten the coming resumption of war, do not revolve around what each side announces about the number and type of prisoners, but go back to the conclusion each side draws for the war, which fundamentally contradicts the other, indeed it seems clear that it will not be realized: Israel cannot annihilate Hamas and achieve victory over it, nor can Hamas defeat Israel and achieve victory over it.
Naturally there is disagreement over the type of prisoners: the truce so far involves the prisoner exchange of women and children under 19, of which 81 have been released so far (4 of them had been released by Hamas before the agreement as a gesture of goodwill faith, and 77 were released as part of the agreement), and their numbers are assumed to increase as the seventh wave of truce begins. Israel says Hamas has so far kidnapped 11 foreigners and 134 Israelis, including 3 children and 10 elderly people over the age of 75, as well as 27 women and 118 men, including male and female soldiers. Hamas demands another price for these people, not three for one as has happened so far, but Israel refuses.
Savory Baklava!
It seemed from the beginning that Israel was moving toward the truce and swap deal under its compulsion and not of its own volition. She does not want to see Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli captivity, raising the victory sign.
Although those he released were “light prisoners” of children and women, and not people sentenced to life imprisonment or heavy sentences, he tried to dampen their joy of freedom by raiding their homes and warning their families against any sign of joy.
As residents flocked to Ofer Prison to receive the freed prisoners, forces brutalized them and fired stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets and even live ammunition.
In East Jerusalem they raided their homes and expelled journalists and relatives. He summoned the families of the prisoners to receive them at the Al-Maskobiyya police station, and held them there for long hours, as if they were prisoners, then gave them funny instructions such as “Do not distribute sweets”, which caused the people made fun of them. , and a joke spread that “the people of Jerusalem invented savory baklava to hand out to supporters.”
The Israelis preferred to continue the war until Hamas was defeated, or find prisoners to release by force, or both. When forced under pressure from the prisoners’ families, supported by a large crowd, the officials gave in and accepted the deal. But they did not hide their anger and extreme anger: before releasing each Palestinian prisoner, male and female, they greeted him and her by beating, torturing and humiliating them. They decided not to carry out the agreements to free the rest of the prisoners.
On the other hand, Hamas wanted to show humane behavior towards the released Israeli prisoners. His young men accompanied them and helped the defenseless women, leaving them with friendly greetings and on one occasion even a hug.
It has become clear that Hamas considers the release of every male and female Palestinian prisoner to be a great advantage that it is proud of before the Palestinian people.
Despite the massive destruction that occurred in Gaza due to the war and the frightening number of martyrs, wounded and displaced people, which represents a very high price, the release of prisoners attracts greater popularity and glorification to Hamas. Prisoners are considered by Palestinians to be the greatest sacrificers and are respected to the point of reverence.
High ceiling
But the problem lies in the post-war period. In Israel they have drawn up high-level war plans that are almost impossible to carry out: annihilate Hamas, destroy its rule in the Gaza Strip, liquidate its leaders in Gaza and elsewhere, and forcibly release the hostages. By the way, they revealed other plans to deport Gaza’s population to Egypt or to the sea.
In the background, arrogance prevailed: the Israeli army, considered one of the strongest armies in the world, received a serious blow from the Hamas attack and its prestige was shaken before Israeli public opinion and before the armies. of the world that admired him. He wants to regain this prestige at any cost. It managed to destroy a third of the Gaza Strip, killing around 20,000 Palestinians, including 5,300 soldiers (according to Israeli data), and destroying infrastructure, schools, mosques, churches and hospitals. And that’s not enough. He wants Palestinians to pay a higher price. He wants this war to remain imprinted in Palestinian memory as a second catastrophe, so that they do not dare to “insult” the Israeli “master” again.
This interest of the army coincided with the agenda of its right-wing opponents in power, in particular the convinced extremists leading the Likud party and the parties of Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who want to annihilate Gaza and the West Bank. , and deport the people of Gaza, the people of the West Bank and even the Arab citizens of Israel. They consider this war a “season of liquidation” for the Palestinian cause. To justify this madness, they always upload images of the effects of the Hamas attack against Israeli civilians on October 7, which show the bodies of children burned, entire families exterminated, parts of bodies, children prisoners, including a newborn baby, and people defenseless. elderly men and women.
On the other hand, Hamas is motivated by the euphoria of the severe attack against the Israeli army, carried out by several hundred young members of the elite, during which they managed to penetrate a fortified electronic wall and a defense line costing billions . , take control of 11 military barracks and 22 cities, and confiscate valuable materials about the Israeli army and its military plans (which were given as gifts to Iran and others). The movement wants to have a solid position in the leadership of the Palestinian people with the value of this result. He wants Israel to break and accept Hamas as a decisive element in the region. Since he does not read the Israeli, regional and global map well, he is confident that he will achieve his goal and see Israel on its knees. Preparations are underway to celebrate the victory over the rubble and deep wounds of Gaza.
Rational efforts
In the absence of humility, and in light of this distance from rational positions that put the interests of the people, the real victims of war, above all else, many powers, especially the Arab countries, are making extraordinary efforts to stop war and its scourges, put an end to the suffering of both sides, free the hostages and prisoners and reverse the catastrophe. Towards an opportunity, opening horizons for a radical solution to the conflict that puts an end to wars and begins a new and ambitious path to build a different future in the entire region. They are trying to formulate a breakthrough that leads to comprehensive peace between Israel and all Arab countries on the basis of ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state that enjoys disarmament and achieving independence, freedom and prosperity.
Currently, the obstacles to this path are placed by those leaders (in Israel and in the movement), whose people should be the first to benefit from this trend. If they had recognized that there are limits to power, no matter how big and exaggerated it is, the picture would have been completely different and we would not have been stuck in the complexities of small agreements and short-term or long-term truces like this. , and we would not have been on the brink of war again.