Gaza Temporary Truce Extended Another 24 Hours
Israel and Hamas again agreed to extend the Qatari-mediated temporary truce between them early on Thursday after Hamas submitted a list of women and children who could be freed to the Israeli government. The list includes eight total people and would extend the truce by another 24 hours; Hamas ha...
Facts
- Israel and Hamas again agreed to extend the Qatari-mediated temporary truce between them early on Thursday after Hamas submitted a list of women and children who could be freed to the Israeli government. The list includes eight total people and would extend the truce by another 24 hours; Hamas has released 95 hostages in exchange for 210 Palestinian prisoners.1
- Israel also released another 30 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday, all of whom, except one, were arrested after Hamas's Oct. 7 surprise attack. This included the prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi — a 22-year-old who gained global notoriety in 2017 when she slapped an Israeli soldier who took part in a raid on her West Bank village; she was again arrested earlier this month for violent social media posts against Israeli settlers in the West Bank.2
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, emphasizing the Biden administration's desire to see the protection of civilians and the delivery of aid in south Gaza — in which the vast majority of the strip's residents are now located. After meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken headed to Ramallah in the West Bank to speak with Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas.3
- Meanwhile, in Gaza, concerns are growing that the spread of disease could kill thousands. Due to the lack of healthcare and sanitation as well as the high density of displaced people in the south of the strip diseases have rapidly spread among the population. Diarrhea and respiratory infections are reportedly widespread among children in UN facilities — facilities now swelling with 1.1M displaced people.4
- On Thursday, Hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting attack in Jerusalem that killed three people and injured at least 13 others. The gunmen, who were shot and killed by an off-duty soldier at the scene, opened fire on a bus stop during rush hour; Hamas called the attack 'a natural response' to the situation in Gaza and Jenin.5
- Gaza's health ministry reports that the conflict has left almost 15K people — the majority of whom were women and children — in the Gaza Strip dead, while the official Israeli death toll stands at 1.2K people.6
Sources: 1Axios (a), 2The Times of Israel, 3Al Jazeera, 4BBC News, 5The Telegraph and 6Axios (b).
Narratives
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. While freeing hostages is of the utmost importance, Israel must not succumb to unfair international pressure. Hamas has a history of forcing uneven deals, and the Israeli war cabinet made the right decision by weighing its options before accepting this temporary pause. It should remain clear, however, that Israel's ultimate goal is to eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem will continue to work toward this end even if that necessitates a resumption of conflict.
- Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. The Israeli military has inflicted disproportionate harm on the civilians of Gaza as opposed to on Hamas itself, and further assaults could lead to the deaths of many more. Israel has made a wise choice to bring its citizens home immediately through this temporary ceasefire, which should be extended. This will also see much-needed aid reach Gaza, where an utter humanitarian cataclysm has unfolded.
