The truce proposal acceptance by Hamas at a time when Israel is preparing to march on Rafah came as a surprise. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh conveyed to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators about the decision on the truce proposal. Though the details about the proposal are still not clear, it has left Israel in a bind.
The US confirmed that Hamas has agreed to the proposal and said it was reviewing it and would take it up with its partners in the region. Tel Aviv, on the other hand, was not expecting Hamas to make such an announcement as all this time, both Israel and the US had been blaming the Palestinian group for its ‘lacklustre’ approach towards a ceasefire.
With this announcement, Hamas has thrown the ball in the court of Israel.
Whatever decision Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take would directly affect his standing among the Israeli citizens. The issue of hostages in Gaza is of great importance and the Israeli cabinet cannot ignore it. The relatives of the hostages have made it clear to their government that they want their loved ones back home safe and sound.
One relative of a hostage even warned that if their loved ones are not brought back home safely, the entire population would come out on the streets. Netanyahu’s future depends on his response to the truce.
He wants to go inside Rafah and the only reason he had been delaying the operation all this time was the international response toward this misadventure. The US and the UN have asked Israel not to go inside Rafah as it would cause immense bloodshed. Almost the entire population of Gaza is crammed in Rafah.
However, during the last few days, it had become clearly evident that Israel was determined to go inside Rafah. Infact it had asked Palestinians to evacuate from eastern Rafah after declaribg it a war zone.
Even after Hamas accepted the truce proposal, Israel launched attacks on Rafah. Therefore, it all depends on the international community now. Will they exert pressure on Tel Aviv to halt its assault on the Gazans or would they look the other way.
Here, the American role is of great significance. The US is already facing protests in universities and despite police action and other measures, the demonstrations continue. Joe Biden’s future is tied to Netanyahu. If the Israeli prime minister continues with his assault, and Biden does not do anything, he can forget about a second term in office, and so should Netanyahu.
