Image source, Agence France-Presse
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- author, Drafting
- Author title, BBC World News
Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy for the Gaza conflict, returned to the Middle East on Monday.
At the same time, the mediators face a new obstacle in their efforts to advance negotiations on the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to a new, more complex phase.
Key issues remain unresolved, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the reconstruction and future governance of Gaza, or the deployment of an international security force in the Strip.
Without a timetable for the talks, which are likely to require significant concessions from both Israel and Hamas, serious doubts remain about the possibility of any progress.
Added to this is a new problem: it is believed that dozens of Hamas fighters are hiding in tunnels under the southern city of Rafah, behind the so-called “yellow line” that defines the area under Israeli control.
Image source, Israel GPO via EPA
Underground Hamas fighters
Last week, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said it was possible to offer amnesty to fighters who laid down their weapons, and that this could serve as a model for what Washington hopes to implement in the rest of Gaza.
Witkoff stated that there were 200 fighters trapped, although the number was not certain.
According to media reports, Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue on Monday during a meeting in Jerusalem.
Hamas announced earlier that the fighters would not surrender and demanded that their safe passage be guaranteed, a request that Israel has so far rejected.
An Israeli government spokeswoman stated that Netanyahu and Kushner discussed the first phase, which is now in place, to rescue the remaining hostages, as well as the future of the second phase of this plan, which includes disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza and ensuring that the Islamic organization does not have influence again in the Strip.
The war in Gaza began following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 69,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, whose figures the United Nations considers reliable.
Image source, Getty Images
Uncertainty and blockage
The first phase of the ceasefire, which took effect last month, focused on stopping the war, freeing all hostages and ensuring a significant increase in humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Hamas handed over 20 hostages alive and the remains of 24 dead, while four bodies remain in Gaza.
In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons, 1,718 detainees without charge or trial in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the remains of 315 Palestinians from Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce: Israel claims that Hamas deliberately delayed the return of the hostages’ remains, while Hamas asserts that Israel killed at least 240 Palestinians and is restricting the entry of humanitarian aid.
Image source, Getty Images
Hamas previously rejected disarmament, saying it would only agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
For its part, Israel rejects any participation in the management of the Gaza Strip by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the occupied West Bank.
Other countries are reluctant to send forces to the multinational force without clear objectives, fearing that their soldiers will clash with Hamas fighters and other Palestinian factions.
The Israeli army currently occupies 53% of Gaza’s territory, and is expected to withdraw further in the next phase of the plan.
Given the weak expectations for imminent progress in the negotiations, the possibility of the actual division of Gaza between an area controlled by Israel and another controlled by Hamas is gaining strength, according to sources consulted by the news agency. Reuters.
It is believed that reconstruction talks could be limited to territories controlled by Israel.
Arab countries have already expressed concern that the current separation may turn into a permanent division of Gaza.
Trump’s plan does not include a path leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state, a concept that Israel rejects.
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