Why has the ceasefire in Gaza collapsed?
Israel began carrying out air strikes in the Gaza Strip again on Tuesday night. More than 400 people have been killed so far, according to Palestinian sources. The ceasefire that has been in place since January was supposed to have entered a second, extended phase, but Israel would only agree to this if Hamas released all remaining hostages, disarmed and relinquished control of the Gaza Strip, which it has refused to do.
Hamas miscalculated
Hamas should have agreed to the Israeli terms in its own interest, Phileleftheros writes:
“By causing the ceasefire to fail days ago and by carelessly exhausting whatever leeway it had, Hamas has given Netanyahu exactly what he wanted in order to destroy it once and for all, with all that that entails. The elimination in a matter of minutes of the 'interior minister' and other high-ranking officials sends the message that Israel knows exactly where most of them are. There are no more tunnels, and the message is clear: either you stop, or we continue.”
A schizophrenic situation
Israel is in danger of losing its last remaining supporters, La Libre Belgique sighs:
“We must acknowledge that the Israeli population is caught up in a schizophrenic situation. The Israelis want to do everything they can to free the hostages but at the same time ensure that the terrorist organisation holding them captive is eradicated once and for all. Their lack of empathy for Gaza has grown in recent weeks in view of the macabre staging of the hostage handovers. ... By intensifying its attacks, Israel risks losing what little international support it still has – with the notable exception of US President Trump.”
UN peacekeeping troops essential
Politiken is disillusioned but sees a viable path forward:
“Formally, the road to peace is relatively straightforward. The first step would be to extend the ceasefire, which now seems to have broken down completely. ... The problem is that Hamas and Israel are almost as far apart as they have ever been. What's more, the US seems to have withdrawn as a peacemaker. ... For now the plan proposed by Egypt at an emergency meeting earlier this month seems to be the most viable way forward. It foresees Gaza being governed by a kind of technocratic council without any Hamas members, Arab countries training a Palestinian security force, and the deployment of UN peacekeeping troops.”