As Gaza cease-fire ends, Hamas and Israel meet on possible truce in Cairo
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Representatives of Israel and Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, are in Cairo today trying to work out the details of a possible long-term cease-fire. But the prospects of a breakthrough looked low, with Palestinian and Israeli officials both denying a BBC report, citing an unnamed source, that there had been such a development.
Earlier today, a brief UN-requested cease-fire was violated by mortar fire from Gaza. The quick turn to violence generated concern that Israel could look to ground operations if a more lasting agreement wasn't reached soon.
More than 200 people 鈥� mostly civilians 鈥� have died in the past week and a half. All but one of the casualities have been Palestinian.
The cease-fire, which began at 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EST) and was set to run for five hours, was intended to allow Palestinians an opportunity to go to hospitals, stock up on food, or visit banks, which were to open for the first time in two weeks. Less sirens sounded and mortars landed in southern Israel, according to Reuters.听
In Gaza City, hundreds of Palestinian lined up outside banks to collect salaries paid directly into their accounts, while others went food shopping. Gaza roads almost deserted over days of conflict were filled again with traffic.
"We are here to get paid. Thank God for the calm and we hope it lasts," said Zakaria Ahmed, 35. "We hope Egypt brings a good truce, we hope the killing will stop and (Gaza's border) crossings will open."
There was also relief in Israel. In the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon, which has been under constant rocket fire, families strolled through the streets after remaining at home for the past week.听
A cease-fire proposed by Egypt and Israel earlier this week wasn't acceptable to Hamas, which wasn't included in the discussion. 海角大神 reported that Israel delivered Hamas 鈥渁 diplomatic blow鈥� by agreeing to the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire.
That gave Hamas an unhappy choice between a deal that met virtually none of its conditions, or an Israeli escalation that would be harder to paint as sheer aggression rather than a response to ongoing rocket fire from Gaza.
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听鈥淚f Hamas rejects the very public diplomatic offer here, then if the fighting renews, Israel can then pursue its military goals with a tremendous amount of international legitimacy behind it 鈥� something that was lacking prior to the outbreak of the hostilities,鈥� said former Ambassador Michael Oren, who served as Israel鈥檚 envoy to Washington from 2009-13,听on a call with foreign reporters.
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听After militants in Gaza fired more than 40 rockets into Israel [Tuesday], Israel renewed its airstrikes on the territory, effectively aborting the cease-fire efforts.
Hamas鈥檚 conditions for a cease-fire include Israel and Egypt ending border restrictions that impose economic hardship on Palestinians in Gaza and make it difficult for Hamas to pay government employees, Reuters reports. The group also demands an end to Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, and the release of Hamas members detained by Israel over the past month. Israel hasn't signaled any willingness to meet these demands.
A senior Israeli military official said Israel was of Gaza, according to The New York Times. Only 鈥渂oots on the ground鈥� could end rocket fire from Gaza, the official said.
鈥淓very day that passes makes the possibility more evident,鈥� the military official said of a ground campaign. The official, who has been briefing Israeli ministers responsible for strategic decisions and spoke on the condition of anonymity under military protocol, said that his assessment was based on 鈥渢he signals I get鈥� and that the likelihood of an invasion was 鈥渧ery high.鈥�
鈥淲e can hurt them very hard from the air but not get rid of them,鈥� he told a handful of international journalists in a briefing at the military鈥檚 Tel Aviv headquarters. An Israeli takeover of Gaza would not be 鈥渁 huge challenge,鈥� he said, estimating that it would take 鈥渁 matter of days or weeks.鈥� But he added that preventing a more dangerous deterioration in the territory would require a presence 鈥渙f many months.鈥�
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