Tag: hamas

Rafah, US arms, UNRWA: How Biden defends supporting Israel amid Gaza war | Israel War on Gaza News

Washington, DC – “It’s wrong,” United States President Joe Biden said last week of the ongoing Israeli offensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah, pledging to stop supplying offensive weapons if the assault proceeds.

One week later, however, Israeli forces have seized the Rafah border crossing and pushed into the city, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering. Still, US media reported on Tuesday that Biden plans to advance a $1bn arms transfer to Israel, including tank shells.

Advocates say the apparent contradiction — between pressuring Israel to stop its offensive, then offering further weaponry — is part of a broader pattern whereby the US says one thing but does another.

“We’ve got a situation where the rhetoric is not matching the action,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at the advocacy group Friends Committee on National Legislation. “It’s obviously distressing seeing the US complicity in these horrific war crimes.”

Biden’s statements one week prior signalled to some advocates that Washington may finally use its leverage to pressure Israel to end its abuses against Palestinians.

In a CNN interview, the president said he would stop the transfer of artillery shells to Israel in the case of a Rafah invasion, and his administration ultimately withheld one shipment of heavy bombs over the assault.

But advocates say the media reports of the $1bn transfer raises questions about Biden’s commitment to protecting civilians in Rafah — and standing up to Israel, its longtime ally.

Here, Al Jazeera looks at how the Biden administration presents its policies to overcome legal and political questions about its unconditional support for Israel.

Rafah invasion

Claim: The US government says Israel has not launched a major invasion of Rafah.

“We believe that what we’re seeing right now is a targeted operation. That’s what Israel has told us. We have not seen a major operation moving forward,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.

Fact: The Israeli offensive in Rafah has so far displaced 450,000 Palestinians from the city and further strained the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, raising fears of catastrophic consequences.

While Israeli troops have not entered the dense urban centre of Rafah, Israel’s tanks have been pushing deeper into the city. Last week, the State Department acknowledged that theoretically “a series of limited operations” can constitute “one large one”.

“It’s not credible to say that the Rafah offensive has not started. From everything we’re seeing, the Rafah invasion is happening. And it should have already crossed that red line,” El-Tayyab told Al Jazeera.

Ceasefire

Claim: The Biden administration says it is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, often blaming Hamas for rejecting proposals to reach a deal to halt the fighting.

“Israel put a forward-leaning proposal on the table for a ceasefire and hostage deal,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday. “The world should be calling on Hamas to come back to the table and accept a deal.”

Fact: The US has vetoed three separate ceasefire draft resolutions at the United Nations Security Council and voted against two at the General Assembly.

Hamas has accepted a deal put forward by Qatar and Egypt that would lead to a lasting ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives in Gaza and a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The Israeli government rejected it.

“What we need is a permanent ceasefire now to end this mass killing, and we need to move towards a resolution of the deeper issues of this horrible conflict,” El-Tayyab said.

International humanitarian law violations

Claim: The US says it cannot definitively determine whether Israel is using American weapons to violate international law.

The Biden administration issued a report last week saying that Israel offered “credible and reliable” assurances that US arms are not being deployed to commit abuses.

Fact: Rights groups have documented numerous violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli military, which extensively uses US weapons. Those reports include evidence of indiscriminate bombing, torture and targeting civilians.

“There’s a version of reality that this administration would like people to believe in. And then there is a version of reality that people have been actually watching for months now in Gaza, with horrific images of the killing of civilians, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the starvation of an entire population,” Palestinian American analyst Yousef Munayyer told Al Jazeera.

“And these two realities don’t line up at all. And so, I don’t know what audience this theatre is intended for. But I can’t imagine it being persuasive to anybody really.”

Leahy Law

Claim: The Biden administration says it applies the “same standards” to Israel in enforcing the Leahy Law, which prohibits assistance to foreign military units that commit abuses.

Last month, the US State Department said it would not suspend aid to any Israeli battalions despite acknowledging that five units had engaged in gross violations of human rights.

Washington said four of the battalions had taken remedial steps to address the abuses, and the US is engaging with Israel over the fifth unit.

Fact: Experts say the US has a special process in applying the Leahy Law to Israel, giving the country more time and leeway to address allegations of abuse.

“They have made the determination that the unit has been engaged in gross violations and that the host country has failed to remediate,” Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), told Al Jazeera last week.

“And they still have not cut off that unit. That is an admission that the secretary of state is violating US law.”

De-funding UNRWA

Claim: The Biden administration says it cut off funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to “comply with the law”.

The law in question is a government funding bill that Congress passed in March, banning aid to UNRWA.

The UN agency provides vital services to millions of Palestinians across the Middle East and has played a leading role in aid delivery in Gaza.

Fact: Biden supported the funding legislation and signed it into law. Washington had also suspended its assistance to the agency weeks before the bill was approved, following Israeli allegations of links between UNRWA and Hamas.

Last month, an independent review of UNRWA, commissioned by the UN, found that Israel did not provide credible evidence to back its accusations.

“Our political process has chosen to cut US funding to literally the only entity that can address the level of suffering and scale of suffering that’s happening in Gaza right now,” Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI), told Al Jazeera earlier this year.

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NSM-20: ‘Inconsistencies’ plague US assessment on Israel’s Gaza war conduct | Israel War on Gaza News

Washington, DC – In a report released on Friday, the United States concluded that it is “reasonable to assess” that the weapons it provided to Israel during its war on Gaza have been used in violation of international humanitarian law.

However, the same report said that Israel’s assurances that it is not using US arms to commit abuses are “credible and reliable” — and that the US can therefore continue to provide those weapons.

Advocates say the apparent contradiction shows that the US is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to continue arming Israel, even at the expense of Washington’s own laws.

“What those inconsistencies show you is that the administration does know what is happening,” said Annie Shiel, the US advocacy director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC).

“They absolutely can see that there is devastating civilian harm, that there are apparent violations, that aid is being restricted. And they do not have the political will to do what that means — and end US support and US arms transfers to Israel.”

President Joe Biden’s unwillingness to do so, advocates say, should compel Congress instead to use its oversight and legislative powers to ensure that the rules apply to Israel.

“The ball is in Congress’s court here,” said Shiel. “It is very clear that the administration is not going to take the steps that it needs to take — that US law demands, that US policy demands, that basic humanity demands. And so Congress really needs to step in and say, ‘This report is not honest. US assistance, US arms transfers do need to stop now.’”

Origins of NSM-20

Shiel noted that even Friday’s report resulted from congressional pressure. Earlier this year, Senator Chris Van Hollen, along with 18 colleagues, pushed the White House to draw up a national security memorandum, dubbed NSM-20.

The memorandum required written assurances from the recipients of US weapons that the arms were not being used to violate international humanitarian law (IHL) or restrict Washington-backed humanitarian aid in areas of armed conflict.

IHL spells out the laws of war. It is a set of rules meant to protect non-combatants during armed conflict, consisting of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and subsequent international treaties aimed at limiting civilian suffering.

Friday’s report, released by the US State Department, assessed assurances provided by several countries that receive US security aid, including Iraq, Nigeria and Ukraine. But all eyes were on Israel, given the mounting death toll, destruction and starvation in Gaza.

So what exactly did the report say? Here are a few takeaways:

  • The US government found the assurances provided by recipient countries, including Israel, “to be credible and reliable so as to allow the provision of defense articles covered under NSM-20 to continue”.
  • “Given Israel’s significant reliance on US-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.”
  • The US intelligence community finds that Israel has “inflicted harm on civilians” in Gaza, but there was “no direct indication of Israel intentionally targeting civilians”. Still, “Israel could do more to avoid civilian harm”.
  • Israel “has not shared complete information” on whether US weapons have been used in abuses.
  • Israeli officials have encouraged protests to block aid to Gaza. Israel has also implemented “extensive bureaucratic delays” on the delivery of assistance and launched military strikes on “coordinated humanitarian movements and deconflicted humanitarian sites”.
  • The US government does “not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance“.
  • Israel has its own rules and procedures and says it is investigating alleged abuses, but the US is “unaware of any Israeli prosecutions for violations of IHL or civilian harm since October 7”, the start date for its current war in Gaza.

‘Wild’ acknowledgment

Amanda Klasing, the director of government relations and advocacy at Amnesty International USA, said one of the most important findings from the report is the intelligence community’s assessment that Israel should do more to avoid civilian harm.

“When you have all of that laid out, the question is how do they still come to the conclusion that they came to,” Klasing told Al Jazeera.

She highlighted the report’s acknowledgment that Israel has not provided full information about possible IHL violations.

“You’re lacking evidence in order to prove your case, because your security partner isn’t cooperating with you. The next logical conclusion would be to withhold your weapons until you could actually get the information required to ensure that you’re not being complicit in violations of international law,” she said.

“Instead, the report recognises these big gaps. And then the conclusion is: Because of these gaps, we can’t draw any definitive conclusions, and therefore it will continue weapons transfers.”

Scott Paul, the associate director for peace and security at Oxfam America, called the acknowledgement that Israel did not fully cooperate with the US query “wild”.

He also criticised the State Department for deferring to Israel’s own processes and military justice system to provide information about potential humanitarian law violations. Israel rarely ever prosecutes its own soldiers for misconduct.

“It’s form over substance. The fact that a justice system exists doesn’t mean that it’s credible — doesn’t mean that it will work in a way to hold individuals to account for their violations of the law,” Paul told Al Jazeera.

“And all of the work being done here is being done by the fact that the system exists, not that the system is functioning.”

He added that, while indeed it is difficult to document IHL violations in war zones, rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have done so in Gaza.

Paul also noted the US had no such difficulty when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022: The government formally accused Russia of war crimes only weeks into the war.

Some advocates say that, by turning a blind eye to Israeli abuses, the US is losing its credibility to call out violations of international law in other parts of the world.

“How does [the US] have any accountability in other instances if it wants international law to be respected in the context of Ukraine, but it is taking every action to undermine international law or multilateral approaches to holding Israel accountable?” Klasing said.

Biden’s ultimatum

The report’s release on Friday came two days after Biden himself acknowledged that US bombs killed civilians in Gaza, as he warned Israel against carrying out an invasion of the southern city of Rafah.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centres,” the US president told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.

Washington confirmed that it suspended one shipment of heavy bombs to Israel. Biden also threatened to withhold further transfers if the Israeli military launches a full assault on Rafah.

Many Palestinian rights advocates have argued that a gradual invasion of Rafah is already under way in defiance of Biden’s ultimatum.

Shiel at CIVIC stressed that the administration’s decision to withhold some weapons from Israel over Rafah is separate from the NSM-20 process.

“It is very clear US weapons have fuelled catastrophic civilian harm and displacement and apparent violations for many months,” she told Al Jazeera.

“And for those many months — even before the NSM existed — existing US and international law as well as other established policy have required an end to that harm. So no, this is not simply a discretionary decision for the president to make. US law demands that US arms transfers stop for these reasons.”

For his part, Paul at Oxfam said, while NSM-20 was a welcome step, the Biden administration ultimately “bent over backwards” to avoid definitively answering the question raised by the memorandum: whether US assistance is being used in accordance with the law.

“It is studiously trying not to tell us anything,” he said of the report.

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South Africa asks ICJ to order Israel to withdraw from Gaza’s Rafah | Israel War on Gaza News

South Africa seeks new emergency measures over Israel’s latest offensive against the southern city in Gaza.

South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures over the war in Gaza, the United Nations’s top court said.

In the ongoing case brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of acts of genocide against Palestinians, the ICJ in January ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians.

Israel has repeatedly said it is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza, and has called South Africa’s genocide case baseless and accused Pretoria of acting as “the legal arm of Hamas”.

In filings published on Friday, South Africa is seeking additional emergency measures in light of the continuing military action in Rafah, which it calls the “last refuge” for Palestinians in Gaza.

The city in the south of Gaza is crammed with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in dire conditions and there have been warnings that an Israeli ground offensive would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe for civilians.

South Africa’s application said Israel’s operation against Rafah poses an “extreme risk” to “humanitarian supplies and basic services into Gaza, to the survival of the Palestinian medical system, and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group,” the UN court said in a statement.

“Those who have survived so far are facing imminent death now, and an order from the Court is needed to ensure their survival,” South Africa’s filing said.

South Africa also asked the court to order that Israel allow unimpeded access to Gaza for UN officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, and journalists and investigators.

 

Israel’s 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing on Tuesday morning, a day after the Palestinian group governing Gaza said it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated ceasefire proposal. Israel, meanwhile, insisted the proposal did not meet its core demands.

Tanks and planes pounded several areas and at least four houses in Rafah overnight, killing 20 Palestinians and wounding several others, according to Palestinian health officials.

Some 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah in recent days, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The UN also noted that the Israeli army’s takeover of the Rafah border crossing has shut down the entry of aid into Gaza for the past three days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Rafah offensive was needed to defeat Hamas.

At least 34,943 people have been killed and 78,572 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, with dozens of people still held captive in Gaza.

South Africa brought a case against Israel to the ICJ in January, accusing the country of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The top UN court has ruled that there was a plausible risk of genocide in the enclave and ordered Israel to take a series of provisional measures, including preventing any genocidal acts from taking place.

The court rejected a second South African application for emergency measures made in March over Israel’s threat to attack Rafah.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, generally rules within a few weeks on requests for emergency measures. It will likely take years before the court will rule on the merits of the case. While the ICJ’s rulings are binding and without appeal the court has no way to enforce them.



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US plays down Rafah assault, says it will push for Gaza ceasefire deal | Israel War on Gaza News

Washington, DC – The United States has played down the deadly Israeli assault on Rafah, saying the offensive appears to be “limited” despite concerns over the fate of the more than 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in the southern Gaza city.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that the US still opposes a major Israeli offensive against Rafah.

Israel had stepped up its bombardment of Rafah on Monday, killing dozens of people after ordering about 100,000 residents in its eastern areas to evacuate. Israeli troops also stormed the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which serves as a major gateway for humanitarian aid.

“This military operation that they launched last night was targeted just to Rafah gate,” Miller said on Tuesday.

“It wasn’t an operation in the civilian areas that they had ordered to be evacuated. So we will continue to make clear that we oppose a major military operation in Rafah.”

Still, Miller acknowledged that the attack on the crossing “does look like the prelude” to a larger offensive.

The Israeli attack closed the Rafah crossing, further straining the already inadequate flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since October 9, Israel has intensified its existing blockade on the territory, bringing the Palestinian enclave to the verge of famine.

The Rafah crossing also serves as an entry point for humanitarian workers going into Gaza, and critically sick and injured people use it to leave the territory and receive treatment abroad.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said 120 patients who were set to cross from Gaza to Egypt for treatment were prevented from leaving on Tuesday.

Shutting down the crossing also has blocked medical supplies and fuel needed to operate the remaining medical centres in the territory, the ministry said.

“The situation of patients in Gaza hospitals has been very difficult since the beginning of the war due to the loss of medical equipment and the total collapse of the health system,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We have travel lists for sick and injured people in the thousands. And now they are prevented from leaving.”

At the US State Department, Miller called for reopening the crossing, but he also appeared to justify the Israeli attack that closed it.

“Hamas did control the Gaza side of Rafah crossing, and Hamas was continuing to collect revenue from that crossing being open,” he told reporters.

“So it is a legitimate goal to try and deprive Hamas from revenue, money that they could use to continue to finance their terrorist activities. That said, we want to see the crossing open, and we’re gonna work to try to get it back open.”

On Saturday, Israel also closed the Karem Abu Salem border crossing, also known as Kerem Shalom, barring aid trucks after Hamas launched a rocket attack on Israeli troops nearby, killing four soldiers.

On Tuesday, Miller falsely said the crossing between Gaza and Israel was “bombed” by Hamas when the crossing itself was not targeted.

When pressed about his assertion, Miller said: “You could make that argument it was that strike at Kerem Shalom that precipitated its closure.”

“But that said, you should be very clear about what our position is: We want to see it open. We want to see it open as soon as possible. They said that they’ll open it tomorrow. We’re going to work to see that that happens.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations called on Israel to reopen both crossings immediately.

The Israeli seizure of the Rafah gate came hours after Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar that would see the release of Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as well as an eventual end to the war.

Israel rejected the deal but said it would engage in further negotiations.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has been heavily involved in the talks. On Tuesday, Miller declined to provide many details about where things stand, but he denied that Hamas had actually accepted the agreement.

Instead, he said the Palestinian group responded to the proposal with suggestions as part of the negotiations process.

“We’ve continued to believe that there is space to reach a deal, and we are trying incredibly hard to push one over the line,” he said.

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Text of the Gaza ceasefire proposal approved by Hamas | Israel War on Gaza News

Al Jazeera has obtained a copy of the Gaza ceasefire proposal that Hamas said it accepted on Monday. The deal, which was put forward by Egypt and Qatar, would come in three stages that would see an initial halt in the fighting leading to lasting calm and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Palestinian territory.

The proposed agreement would also ensure the release of Israeli captives in Gaza as well as an unspecified number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Israel has said that it does not agree to the proposal but that it will engage in further talks to secure an agreement – all while pushing on with its assault on Gaza.

Meanwhile, the United States, which is also involved in the negotiations, said it is reviewing the Hamas response.

Here’s the text of the proposed deal:

The basic principles for an agreement between the Israeli side and the Palestinian side in Gaza on the exchange of captives and prisoners between them and the return of sustainable calm.

The framework agreement aims at: The release of all Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, civilians or military, alive or otherwise, from all periods, in exchange for a number of prisoners held by Israel as agreed upon, and a return to a sustainable calm that leads to a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, its reconstruction and the lifting of the siege.

The framework agreement consists of three related and interconnected stages, which are as follows:

The first stage (42 days)

[Herein] a temporary cessation of military operations between the two parties, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces eastward and away from densely populated areas to a defined area along the border all along the Gaza Strip (including Wadi Gaza, known as the Netzarim Corridor, and Kuwait Roundabout, as below).

All aviation (military and reconnaissance) in the Gaza Strip shall cease for 10 hours a day, and for 12 hours on the days when captives and prisoners are being exchanged.

Internally displaced people in Gaza shall return to their areas of residence and Israel shall withdraw from Wadi Gaza, the Netzarim corridor, and the Kuwait Roundabout:

  • On the third day (after the release of three captives), Israeli forces are to withdraw completely from al-Rashid Street in the east to Salah al-Din Street, and dismantle military sites and installations in this area.
  • Displaced persons (unarmed) shall return to their areas of residence and all residents of Gaza shall be allowed freedom of movement in all parts of the Strip.
  • Humanitarian aid shall be allowed in via al-Rashid Street from the first day without any obstacles.
  • On the 22nd day (after the release of half the living civilian captives in Gaza, including female soldiers), Israeli forces are to withdraw from the centre of the Gaza Strip (especially the Netzarim/Martyrs Corridor and the Kuwait Roundabout axis), from the east of Salah al-Din Street to a zone along the border, and all military sites and installations are to be completely dismantled.
  • Displaced people shall be allowed to return to their places of residence in the north of Gaza, and all residents to have freedom of movement in all parts of the Gaza Strip.
  • Humanitarian aid, relief materials and fuel (600 trucks a day, including 50 fuel trucks, and 300 trucks for the north) shall be allowed into Gaza in an intensive manner and in sufficient quantities from the first day. This is to include the fuel needed to operate the power station, restart trade, rehabilitate and operate hospitals, health centres and bakeries in all parts of the Gaza Strip, and operate equipment needed to remove rubble. This shall continue throughout all stages.

Exchange of captives and prisoners between the two sides:

During the first phase, Hamas shall release 33 Israeli captives (alive or dead), including women (civilians and soldiers), children (under the age of 19 who are not soldiers), those over the age of 50, and the sick, in exchange for a number of prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres, according to the following [criteria]:

  • Hamas shall release all living Israeli captives, including civilian women and children (under the age of 19 who are not soldiers). In return, Israel shall release 30 children and women for every Israeli detainee released, based on lists provided by Hamas, in order of detention.
  • Hamas shall release all living Israeli captives (over the age of 50), the sick, and wounded civilians. In return, Israel shall release 30 elderly (over 50) and sick prisoners for every Israeli captive, based on lists provided by Hamas, in order of detention.
  • Hamas shall release all living Israeli female soldiers. In return, Israel shall release 50 prisoners for every Israeli female soldier (30 serving life sentences, 20 sentenced) based on lists provided by Hamas.

Scheduling the exchange of captives and prisoners between the parties in the first stage:

  • Hamas shall release three Israeli detainees on the third day of the agreement, after which Hamas shall release three other detainees every seven days, starting with women as much as possible (civilians and female soldiers). In the sixth week, Hamas shall release all remaining civilian detainees included in this phase. In return, Israel shall release the agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, according to lists Hamas will provide.
  • Hamas will provide information about the Israeli detainees who will be released at this stage by the seventh day (if possible).
  • On the 22nd day, the Israeli side shall release all prisoners from the Shalit deal who have been re-arrested.
  • If there are fewer than 33 living Israeli detainees to be released, a number of bodies from the same categories shall be released to complete this stage. In return, Israel will release all women and children who were arrested from the Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023 – provided this is done in the fifth week of this stage.
  • The exchange process is linked to the extent of commitment to the agreement, including the cessation of military operations, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of displaced persons, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid.
  • All necessary legal procedures to ensure that freed Palestinian prisoners are not re-arrested on the same charges are to be completed.
  • The steps of the first stage above do not constitute a basis for negotiating the second stage. Punitive measures and penalties that were taken against prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and detention camps after October 7, 2023, are to be lifted and their conditions improved, including individuals who were arrested after this date.
  • No later than the 16th day of the first phase, indirect talks will begin between the parties to agree on the details of the second phase of this agreement, with regard to the exchange of prisoners and captives from both parties (soldiers and remaining men), provided that they are completed and agreed upon before the end of the fifth week of this stage.

The United Nations and its agencies, including UNRWA, and other international organisations, are to continue providing humanitarian services across the Gaza Strip. This shall continue throughout all stages of the agreement.

Infrastructure (electricity, water, sewage, communications and roads) across the Gaza Strip shall be rehabilitated, and the equipment needed for civil defence allowed into Gaza to clear rubble and debris. This shall continue throughout all stages of the agreement.

All necessary supplies and equipment to shelter displaced people who lost their homes during the war (a minimum of 60,000 temporary homes – caravans – and 200,000 tents) shall be allowed into Gaza.

Throughout this phase, an agreed-upon number (not fewer than 50) of wounded military personnel will be allowed to travel through the Rafah crossing to receive medical treatment, and an increased number of travellers, sick and wounded, shall be allowed to leave through the Rafah crossing as restrictions on travellers are lifted. The movement of goods and trade will return without restrictions.

The necessary arrangements and plans shall be put in place for the reconstruction of homes, civilian facilities, and civilian infrastructure that was destroyed due to the war, as well as arrangements to compensate those affected, under the supervision of a number of countries and organisations, including: Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

 

All measures in this stage, including the temporary cessation of military operations, relief and shelter, withdrawal of forces, etc., shall continue in the second stage until a sustainable calm (cessation of military and hostile operations) is declared.

The second stage (42 days):

A return to sustainable calm (a permanent cessation of military and hostile operations) must be announced and take effect before the exchange of captives and prisoners – all remaining living Israeli men (civilians and soldiers) in exchange for an agreed-upon number of prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and detention camps.

Israeli forces shall withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip.

The third stage (42 days):

An exchange of the bodies and remains of the dead on both sides after they have been retrieved and identified.

The reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip over a period of three to five years – including homes, civilian facilities, and infrastructure – and compensating all those affected begins, under the supervision of several countries and organisations, including: Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

A complete end to the siege of the Gaza Strip.

Guarantors of the agreement:

Qatar, Egypt, the United States, and the United Nations.

May 5, 2024

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‘If there was a ceasefire, I’d go home,’ Gaza’s war-weary IDPs say | Israel War on Gaza

Deir el-Balah, Gaza – The word is a weary wish in Gaza, as much a source of searing disappointment as the last emblem of hope.

It has also been on the lips of protesters worldwide, who for months have demonstrated against the carnage of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The word is “ceasefire”, an end to the Israeli assault that has pummeled the Gaza Strip for seven months – killing at least 34,683 and injuring at least 78,018 more in a drawn-out Israeli retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on its territory on October 7.

Several rounds of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in recent months have failed to end the bloodshed or even achieve a temporary pause, as happened last November.

The source of the talks’ deadlock is that Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and the assurance that Israel will not invade Rafah, the refuge for nearly 1.5 million Palestinians.

In ongoing negotiations in Cairo, Egypt, Israel has agreed to only a 40-day pause in fighting and said it will forge ahead with its Rafah offensive regardless of whether a deal is reached.

A potential ceasefire keeps internally displaced person (IDP) Abeer al-Namrouti glued to her phone day and night, the displaced Gaza resident often falling asleep to news bulletins still playing near her head.

“I’m going to keep listening until I hear the word ‘ceasefire’,” al-Namrouti told Al Jazeera.

The 39-year-old, who has eight children, left the town of al-Qarara in Khan Younis after munitions struck her home, destroying it. The attack also injured her and her husband and they had to undergo weeks of treatment that is still ongoing for her husband.

From the tent they live in now in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, she heads to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital to get the medication her husband still requires and administers them to him via IV. It is a difficult life, but she remains determined.

Al-Namrouti is hopeful about a ceasefire this time.

“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is holding things up – every time things move a little, he puts obstacles in [place], but this time I’m more optimistic than the past,” she said.

While months of shuttle diplomacy have failed thus far, if a deal is reached, the family will go back to the town they lived in.

Al-Namrouti with her husband and one of her sons in April 2024 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

“I know we won’t have [even] a tent back there or anything, but all that matters is that we’re on the land that belongs to us.

“I’m going to go back there and set up a tent and just stay,” she concluded adamantly.

‘It’s never happened so far’

Wael el-Nabahin, 48, came to Deir el-Balah from Bureij with his family and set up a slightly unusual tent, the family has a television to watch the news, and even a washing machine.

“I wanted my family to be a bit comfortable and not live in abject disaster. We watch the news all the time to see what’s going on,” el-Nabahin told Al Jazeera.

But the father of four is sceptical of a ceasefire deal any time soon.

“There’s been talk of ceasefires before, but it’s never happened so far,” he said.

If there was such a deal, however, he is determined to return to Bureij, despite his house having been burned down.

Wael al-Nabahin set up as comfortable a tent as possible for his family [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

“If there’s a ceasefire, the first thing we’d do would be to take our tents and go back to where our houses were. We’ll set up there,” said el-Nabahin.

It is this weariness that Louise Wateridge has seen among Palestinians she has worked with in Rafah. The spokesperson with the UN refugee agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, says a ceasefire is the minimum demand for the war-weary Palestinians.

“People here are so tired. There is continuous fear, continuous displacement. The only hope they have is a ceasefire … No matter who you are, the feeling here is we need an immediate ceasefire.”

‘It’s going to end, world war or not, it’s going to end’

For Mahmoud el-Khatib, simply staying alive to see the war end would be significant.

“My house has been destroyed, but it’s not about the house or a car or whatever, it’s more about how we now see that simply surviving is a victory,” el-Khatib told Al Jazeera.

The 55-year-old father of eight has been displaced from Juhor ad-Dik, forced to move between Deir el-Balah and Rafah in the south in the past few months.

“We’re all optimistic that there will be a ceasefire and that we’ll be able to go back to our homes, to the north, back where we belong,” he said.

Mahmoud el-Khatib feels that simply surviving is a victory [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

“If I were to feel safe, everything would be fine, even if I’m in a simple tent.”

And while many diligently follow the news in hopes of a deal, Raed Abu Khousa has had to take a break. Keeping tabs on the war daily took a toll on his mental health.

The 45-year-old father of eight has been displaced for the last four months from Bureij after his home was badly damaged.

Despite now living in a tent, which he says is increasingly difficult with summer approaching, Khousa has cautious optimism about a truce deal.

“I’m not super optimistic, but it does feel like we’re closer to something. And if it’s not this time around, we’re closer to a solution,” he told Al Jazeera.

“It’s going to end, world war or not, it’s going to end. As Muslims, we believe that God will bring us success, and what is asked of us is that we are patient and wait for Him.”

Raed Abu Khousa stopped following the news daily when it became too stressful [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

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UN chief urges Israel and Hamas to reach ceasefire deal in Gaza | Israel War on Gaza News

Antonio Guterres says he fears war in Gaza ‘will worsen exponentially’ without a truce as Israel’s Rafah assault looms.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has renewed his calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as a Hamas delegation is set to visit the Egyptian capital, Cairo, soon for renewed indirect talks.

“For the sake of the people of Gaza, the hostages & their families, and the region & the wider world – I strongly encourage the government of Israel & Hamas leadership to reach an agreement in their negotiations,”  the secretary-general said in a post on X on Friday.

The UN chief added that he fears “the war will worsen exponentially” without a ceasefire.

His comments come as CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo for meetings, the Reuters news agency reported, citing an Egyptian security source and three sources at Cairo airport.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been leading efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas to broker a deal for a ceasefire and captive release in Gaza.

A day earlier, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said he discussed the latest Israeli proposal for a truce with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Hamas confirmed on Thursday that talks are scheduled to take place in the coming days with the aim of ending the war on Gaza.

This week, the Palestinian group said it had received Israel’s latest position and would study it before submitting a reply.

Both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Hamas to accept the deal describing it as a “generous” offer. It includes a halt in fighting for 40 days and the exchange of dozens of Israeli captives for many more Palestinian prisoners.

But Hamas has stressed that it would not accept an agreement that does not lead to a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the unhindered return of displaced families to their homes.

Looming Rafah incursion

Amid the push for a ceasefire, Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, voiced concern for civilians in the besieged enclave.

Laerke warned that a looming Israeli ground offensive into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians there at risk.

“It could be a slaughter of civilians and an incredible blow to the humanitarian operation in the entire Strip because it is run primarily out of Rafah,” Laerke said at a Geneva news briefing on Friday.

Rafah has been the main gateway for aid into Gaza, which has been under a severe Israeli blockade that has brought the territory to the verge of famine.

Aid operations conducted out of Rafah include medical clinics and food distribution points, such as centres for malnourished children, Laerke said.

More than 1.5 displaced Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, which is enduring deadly Israeli attacks on a daily basis.

At least 34,622 Palestinians have been killed and 77,867 wounded in the Israeli assault on Gaza since October.

Its offensive has driven more than 80 percent of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes. Most displaced people have moved to the south of the territory and ended up in Rafah near the border with Egypt.

Countries around the world have urged Israel against invading Rafah, warning of disastrous humanitarian consequences. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to launch a full scale attack against the city regardless of the outcome of the ceasefire talks.

This week, he said Israel will destroy Hamas’s remaining battalions in Rafah “with or without a deal” so Israel can achieve “total victory” in the war.

In November during a weeklong truce, dozens of captives were released by Palestinian groups in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. But Israeli forces renewed their offensive after the ceasefire expired.



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Hamas releases video of two Israeli captives held in Gaza | Israel War on Gaza News

The two men, identified as Keith Siegel and Omri Miran, send love to their families and ask to be released in the video.

Hamas’s military wing has published a video of two Israeli captives held in Gaza, showing footage of them calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to make a deal to secure their release.

The video released on Saturday is similarly filmed to previous captive videos made public by the group, which Israel has condemned as “psychological terrorism”.

The two men, identified as Keith Siegel, 64, and Omri Miran, 47, speak individually in front of an empty background. They send their love to their families and ask to be released.

Miran was taken captive from his home in the community of Nahal Oz in front of his wife and two young daughters during the October 7 Hamas attack.

“I have been here in Hamas captivity for 202 days. The situation here is unpleasant, difficult and there are many bombs,” Miran is heard saying in the footage, indicating it was taken earlier this week.

“It’s time to reach a deal that will get us out of here safe and healthy … Keep protesting, so that there will be a deal now.”

Saturday’s video comes as Hamas says it is studying Israel’s latest counterproposal for a Gaza ceasefire after reports that mediator Egypt had sent a delegation to Israel to jump-start stalled negotiations.

The video was published during the Passover holiday, when Jews traditionally celebrate the biblical story of gaining freedom from slavery in Egypt.

At one point, Siegel breaks down crying as he recounts celebrating the holiday with his family last year and expresses hope that they will be reunited.

“We are in danger here, there are bombs, it is stressful and scary,” he said, burying his face in his arms as he cried.

“I want to tell my family that I love you very much. It’s important to me that you know that I am fine.”

The latest video comes just three days after Hamas released another video showing captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin alive.

About 250 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive during the Hamas assault, which killed 1,139 people, according to Israeli tallies.

In response, Israel launched an assault on Gaza, pledging to destroy Hamas and bring the captives home. The war has so far killed at least 34,388 Palestinians.

The Israeli military has said 129 of the captives are still being held in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 people who died in captivity.

Reporting from Tel Aviv, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said the families and friends of the captives were relieved to see evidence that they were alive.

“They’ve said ‘time is running out. We need our Prime Minister [Benjamin Natanyahu] to accept any deal fast’,” he said.

Smith was speaking from a protest against Netanyahu.

“These protests are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Netanyahu. They’re calling for an end to the war and they’re calling for the release of hostages,” he said.

“Many of the protesters here are saying Netanyahu is deliberately prolonging this war in Gaza because it saves him from the ultimate reckoning of the ballot box.”

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Turkey’s Erdogan urges Palestinian unity after meeting Hamas chief | Israel War on Gaza News

The ‘strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity’, Turkish president says.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Palestinians to unite amid Israel’s war in Gaza, following hours-long talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, according to his office.

Ankara has repeatedly slammed Israel’s incursion into Gaza amid its failed attempts to stop the conflict, which has roiled the Middle East since October 7 last year.

Tensions in the region are running high as Gaza braces for a new Israeli offensive on the southernmost city of Rafah and after a reported Israeli attack on Iran on Friday.

“It is vital that Palestinians act with unity in this process. The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity,” Erdogan said on Saturday after the talks at the Dolmabahce Palace, according to a Turkish presidency statement.

As soaring tensions between Iran and Israel stoke fears of a wider regional war, Erdogan said recent events should not allow Israel to “gain ground and that it is important to act in a way that keeps attention on Gaza”.

Hamas has had an office in Turkey since 2011, when Turkey helped secure the agreement for the group to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Erdogan has maintained links with Haniyeh, the group’s political leader, who has been a frequent visitor.

“Even if only I, Tayyip Erdogan, remain, I will continue as long as God gives me my life, to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people,” the president had said on Wednesday when he announced Haniyeh’s visit.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said keeping the crisis in Gaza on the international agenda was a top priority for Turkey.

“Erdogan asserted that the tension between Iran and Israel should not overshadow what is going on in Gaza,” she said. “That is why the Turkish side will continue its diplomatic efforts to keep the matter alive in the eyes of the international community.”

Turkish, Egyptian FMs meet

Separately on Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, with both men emphasising the need to deliver more humanitarian aid to devastated Gaza, where the threat of famine looms.

“We demand that the six Israeli crossings with Gaza be opened to humanitarian aid,” said Shoukry, adding that the failure to do so violates international law.

The two ministers also urged Iran and Israel to exercise restraint after unprecedented direct attacks on each other’s territory raised fears of a regional war.

Turkey is one of Gaza’s main humanitarian aid partners, sending 45,000 tonnes of supplies and medicine to the region.

Israel has said it is preparing an offensive against the city of Rafah, where some 1.2 million Palestinians are taking shelter after fleeing the conflict in other parts of the enclave.

The recent reported Israeli attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan, following Iran’s direct attack on Israel, has only clouded hopes of a peace breakthrough in Gaza.

More than 34,000 people have been killed and over 76,900 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October.

The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, with dozens of captives held in Gaza.

Fighters also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.



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Israeli attack kills three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh | Israel War on Gaza News

NewsFeed

The Israeli military has confirmed it killed three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who says three of his grandchildren were also killed in the air attack which happened on the first day of Eid al-Fitr. Haniyeh has told Al Jazeera that Palestinian leaders will not back down if their families are targeted by the Israeli army, and that the killings will not affect Hamas’s demands in negotiations for a ceasefire.

Published On 10 Apr 2024

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