In Gaza, the endless wait for a ceasefire agreement

Will the ordeal of Gazans end, even momentarily, before the end of the year? This is what we hope for from negotiations initiated since December 11 between representatives of Hamas and Israel under the patronage of the United States, Qatar and Egypt. But, day after day, rumors of progress are invalidated by reports of blockages. The differences remaining to be resolved concern both the tempo and the content of the agreement for this second truce, after that of November 2023 which lasted a week and allowed the release of 105 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas wants to finalize it before Donald Trump takes office on January 20, 2025. On Tuesday, the Islamist movement said the discussions in Doha, Qatar, were “serious and positive”and estimated that “the conclusion of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement is possible if the occupation stops imposing new conditions”. The Biden administration, which wants to reap the benefits, is pushing in this direction.

Not necessarily the Netanyahu government, which may consider itself in a position of strength with the return of Donald Trump to the Oval Office, but must manage the expectations of Israeli public opinion and fears appearing as the obstacle to the release of the hostages . An Israeli delegation reportedly arrived on Monday, December 16 in Doha to meet mediators where President Biden’s advisor for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, was already present. This Wednesday, December 18, William Burns, the director of the CIA, in turn, arrived in the Qatari capital.

Israel demands ‘total freedom of action’, Hamas will release hostages in exchange for prisoners

What would the agreement contain? The Israeli government, through the voice of its Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, requests a “total freedom of action” and security control for his country in the Gaza Strip at the end of the war. Tel Aviv would also have put on the table progress in negotiations with a view to normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, following the Abraham Accords signed during Donald Trump’s first term.

For its part, Hamas accepted the release of the hostages with the humanitarian situation as the primary criterion: women, the elderly and the sick would be released as a priority. In exchange, Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons where they are often held without conviction. The Islamist movement also demands that the ceasefire be definitive and not temporary, or, in fact, the end of the war in Gaza.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretzwho obtained information from sources directly involved in the talks, “the parties agreed that Israel would provide the kingdom (Saudi Arabia – Editor’s note) with a commitment to a path towards the creation of a Palestinian state” rather than a “explicit recognition by Israel of a Palestinian state”defended by Riyadh previously. “An agreement is not close to being concluded”, However, estimates an Israeli official, speaking to the Axios information site. Real reflection of blockages or posture aimed at “playing for time”?