Germany USA: Deal within reach - but Israel remains intransigent

While the US government sees an agreement between Israel and the Islamist Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages within reach, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu remains intransigent when it comes to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

According to the US government, a deal is 90 percent complete. "The deal has a total of 18 paragraphs. 14 of those paragraphs are done," said a high-ranking government representative. However, in addition to an Israeli troop presence in the Gaza Strip, the conditions for an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners have not yet been fully clarified. Hamas once again called for more pressure to be exerted on Netanyahu.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock set off on a two-day trip to the Middle East with clear demands to her ally Israel. Once again, the Green politician called for all efforts to be directed towards a humanitarian ceasefire that would lead to the release of the hostages and put an end to the dying. "There is no military solution to either Gaza or the situation in the West Bank," she emphasized ahead of the crisis talks in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel this Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, the human rights organization Amnesty International is making serious accusations against the Israeli army for the destruction of agricultural land and houses.

Israeli Prime Minister sticks to the Philadelphi Corridor

On Wednesday evening in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu once again made it clear that he would maintain a permanent presence of Israeli troops in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor. This is an approximately 14-kilometre-long strip on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, which Netanyahu claims is controlled to ensure that Hamas cannot smuggle weapons into the sealed-off coastal strip. "Clearing the Philadelphi corridor does nothing to free the hostages," he told international media.

In the attack by Hamas and other Islamist groups on Israel on October 7, 2023, more than 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza. According to an Israeli count, 101 people are still in the hands of Hamas. It is unclear how many of them are still alive.

The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, in which Qatar and Egypt are mediating alongside the USA in order to achieve a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, have made no progress for months.

The US government representative emphasized that the Philadelphi Corridor was not explicitly mentioned in the agreement. However, it provides for the withdrawal of the Israeli military from all densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip, and a dispute had arisen as to whether the Philadelphi Corridor was included. "Due to this disagreement, the Israelis have made a proposal in recent weeks that would significantly reduce their presence in this corridor," he emphasized. Only in the second phase of the deal is a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces planned.

Netanyahu: Hamas must not arm itself across the border

Netanyahu presented a different view to the media representatives. He said that "someone" should be brought to him who could effectively guarantee that Hamas would not rearm across the Gaza-Egypt border. Then we could talk about withdrawing the Israeli military. "But I don't see that coming, and as long as that doesn't happen, we'll stay there," he added.

Critics accuse Netanyahu of overestimating the strategic importance of the Philadelphi corridor in order to prevent a ceasefire from being reached. They assume that Netanyahu's far-right government partners will refuse to make concessions to Hamas and could cause his coalition to collapse. Netanyahu denies being influenced by this.

"We don't need any new proposals," Hamas announced on its website. "We must now put pressure on Netanyahu and his government and force them to comply with the agreements." Netanyahu must not delay the negotiations "in order to prolong the aggression against our people."

Members of the UN Security Council also urged Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on a ceasefire. "We know that the best way to save the remaining hostages and alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians is through a negotiated ceasefire," said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Amnesty raises accusations against Israeli army

Meanwhile, Amnesty International accuses the Israeli military of systematically destroying agricultural land and thousands of houses in the eastern Gaza Strip after gaining control of the area. The human rights organization demands that this action of significantly expanding a "buffer zone" along the eastern border of the occupied Gaza Strip must be investigated as a war crime. The organization's own research has shown that this may be a war crime of wanton destruction and collective punishment. The Israeli military justifies the demolition of buildings in the Gaza Strip by, among other things, destroying tunnels and other terrorist infrastructure.

Murdered hostage in Hamas propaganda video

Meanwhile, the relatives of a hostage murdered the previous week agreed to the publication of a video that Hamas had made with 40-year-old Carmel Gat shortly before her death for propaganda purposes. In it, she calls on Israelis to demonstrate for a ceasefire agreement. "While we couldn't save her, we can still save the other hostages. We urgently need a deal now, before it's too late," said her cousin Gil Dickmann. Gat was shot dead by Hamas terrorists along with five other hostages - four men and a woman. Israeli security forces found their bodies in a tunnel a few days later.

Violence of the occupiers radicalizes young generation

Before her trip to the Middle East, Baerbock warned of a further escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank. Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank last week. An Israeli army spokesman justified the action with a significant increase in the number of attacks on Israelis. At the same time, violence by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased. The situation in the territory, which has been occupied since 1967, has worsened significantly since the start of the Gaza war.

SDA