Staff Reports
Amid the chaos of the ongoing war in Gaza, the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, made a bold move by jetting off to Cairo for talks. This move comes hot on the heels of Hamas firing rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel, showing that they’re not backing down without a fight. Meanwhile, Israel has been rallying the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organization, arguing that they need to be eradicated following their recent rampage across southern Israel.
Hamas leader visits Cairo, a sign talks on another Gaza truce and hostage swap are gathering pace https://t.co/xFiVFOUVyZ
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The two sides have restarted indirect talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar, with the aim of securing another cease-fire and freeing more hostages captured in the attack. However, there seems to be a wide gap between the demands of the two sides. Hamas insists on large releases of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, in exchange for the remaining captives, which Israel has staunchly rejected.
To make matters more complicated, mobile phone and internet services went down again in Gaza, making it harder to communicate with Hamas leaders who have gone into hiding. It’s a game of cat and mouse, but with much higher stakes.
As if things couldn’t get more intense, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the “final clearing” of militants from the northern Gaza tunnel network, while also vowing to continue operations in the south for months. With casualties rising on both sides, the death toll has reached staggering numbers, leaving no end in sight to the devastation.
While the international community is trying to negotiate a cease-fire and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, the U.S. has been put in the hot seat with calls for them to abstain or vote “yes” on a resolution to halt the fighting. But with President Joe Biden’s administration continuing to provide unwavering support for Israel’s offensive, the tug-of-war between diplomacy and military action rages on.
