Why not a ceasefire in Gaza?

The main reason for this is that both do not accept each other's existence. Hamas says that the Jewish community and Israel must be completely destroyed, while Israel says that the war will not stop until Hamas is destroyed.

The reason why Israel and Hamas are so aggressive, angry and intolerant towards each other is the development during World War II. Palestine, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1516. However, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Britain retained control over Palestine. After World War II, there was a demand for a separate country for the Jews.

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly decided to create two states for Jews and Muslims in Palestine. It was decided to internationalize Jerusalem and the surrounding area claimed by both sides. After the end of British rule on June 14, 1948, part of Palestine became the Jewish state of Israel. It was arranged that Jews from any part of the world could live in Israel, not only those who lived there before.

However, the neighboring countries of Palestine did not agree with the decision to create the state of Israel. Because of this, the Muslims of Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other countries attacked Israel. In the war that lasted for 10 months, Israel was not only victorious, but also occupied a large land allocated for Palestine. However, the countries that do not recognize Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq attacked Israel again in 1967. Since then, tensions have continued not only with Israel's Palestine, but also between neighboring Muslim countries.

Since then, repeated attacks between Israel and various armed groups in the Arab region have become common. Israel has fought wars in 1973, 1982, 2006 and 2014. Recently, the Palestinian group Hamas launched a fierce attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Islamic extremist organization Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Home to 2.3 million people, the Gaza Strip is an area 41 km long and 6 to 12 km wide between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel has control over Gaza's airspace and coastline. Israel controls the movement of people and goods through its border. Similarly, Egypt also controls the border crossings with it. Hamas, which has vowed to destroy Israel, has fought Israel several times since then. Israel along with Egypt has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Hamas, founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1987, does not recognize Israel as a country. In the charter issued by Hamas in 1988 with the goal of establishing an independent Islamic state in Palestine, it is mentioned that Hamas will die only by completely destroying the Jewish community and Israel. Hamas is weak compared to the Israeli army. But lately he has been developing technology related to mortar, drone and rocket attacks.

Hamas, which operates a large-scale weapons factory in the Gaza Strip, is believed to have imported advanced weapons-making technology from Iran. Israel, US, UK, European Union and others consider Hamas a terrorist group. They declared Hamas a "terrorist organization" in 1997. However, Iran, which has been supporting the group, has been providing weapons and training along with financial support.

2023 In the attack on October 7, about 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage by Hamas. More than 40,700 people have been killed in Gaza in the counter-attack launched by Israel. Six of the hostages were found dead in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of ​​southern Gaza on Saturday. 97 are still under the control of Hamas. At least 27 of them are believed to have died. According to the Israeli army (Israeli Defense Force-IDF), the bodies found are five Israelis and one American citizen.

After the bodies of 6 hostages were found on Saturday, Israel is somewhat heated. Anti-government demonstrations were held in Israel on Sunday and Monday to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu for a ceasefire agreement to free the remaining hostages. The opposition Histadrut, Israel's largest trade union, along with Tel Aviv city mayors and the main Manufacturers Union, came out in support of the nationwide strike.

Demonstrators chanted slogans against Netanyahu and the police. The Missing Families Forum, a group of missing families held hostage by Hamas, has been accusing the Israeli government and Prime Minister Netanyahu of not being serious about releasing the hostages. On Monday, the court ordered to stop the general strike and it is said that the protest has ended.

As the protests escalated, Netanyahu said he was "committed to an agreement that ensures the release of the remaining hostages and the security of the country." Some had estimated that the government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu would be in trouble with the demonstrations on Sunday and Monday. But former ambassador and government advisor Alon Pinkas says that the time has not come to make such an assessment. "It's too early to say that," Pincas said.

Last November, an agreement was reached between the two sides to temporarily stop the war. Along with that, some prisoners were also exchanged. It was believed to pave the way for a ceasefire. After various rounds of negotiations, the news that the two sides were close to a ceasefire agreement was also published last May. But it is said that an agreement could not be reached after Netanyahu raised a new and non-negotiable issue.

Since then, thousands of people have died in Gaza in attacks by Israel. In recent days, Israel has also attacked the West Bank and Lebanon. In addition, Israel has adopted a strategy of releasing hostages through military action rather than through negotiations. But there was intense Israeli resentment towards his strategy. After the dead bodies of 6 people were found on Saturday, they were poured on the road as a protest.

"The government and the prime minister are now on the defensive," says Ori Goldberg, an expert on Israeli politics, "this is the current situation." Previously, there was a demonstration against Netanyahu in 2023. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets against his plan to overhaul the country's judicial system. Critics said Netanyahu tried to reform the justice system as a way to avoid corruption in the past.

Similarly, in April 2024, Hamas protested against Netanyahu, demanding the release of hostages and a cease-fire. "Netanyahu has no interest in releasing the hostages or making a cease-fire agreement and that's clear," Pincas said. All this happened because of his reluctance.'

According to a poll conducted last July, 72 percent of Israelis said that Netanyahu should resign as prime minister for failing to stop the attacks by Hamas on October 7. Since then, his popularity has been steadily declining. But Netanyahu is seen ahead of his main competitor, Benny Gantz.

Looking at the latest situation, Netanyahu is not seen to be flexible about the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu proposed that the "Philadelphia Corridor" should come under Israeli control for a ceasefire. The "Philadelphia Corridor" is a 14-kilometer long and 100-meter wide strip of land along the Gaza border with Egypt.

The Camp David Peace Treaty with Egypt in 1979 allowed Israel to keep some troops in the corridor without heavy weapons. It was later designated as a demilitarized border zone in 2005 after Israeli settlements and troops were withdrawn from Gaza. With the withdrawal of Israeli forces, Egypt and Palestine were responsible for stopping smuggling through the corridor. Before Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, 750 Egyptian police were deployed in the corridor. Israel has taken control of the corridor since last May.

Israel claims that Hamas smuggles weapons through the corridor. But Egypt and Hamas have denied such activities. The Palestinian group Hamas has also denied any Israeli presence in the Philadelphia Corridor.

Netanyahu has said control of the corridor is crucial to prevent Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, from building armed tunnels again. "The Philadelphia Corridor is the oxygen of Hamas," he said. No one needs to teach me about this.'

Recently, Israel's main ally, the US, seems to be tired of Netanyahu's aggressiveness. US President Joe Biden responded that he did not feel that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had tried for a ceasefire.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said a cease-fire agreement was close and the hostages in Gaza would be released. After the body of American citizen Pauline was found on Saturday evening, President Biden issued a statement warning that Hamas leaders will pay a heavy price.

According to Biden, the US is planning to submit a final proposal to both sides regarding the cease-fire this week. "We're very close to that," Biden said. But Biden did not present a clear roadmap for the ceasefire, according to Al Jazeera. Since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel, Biden and Netanyahu have talked several times.

The senior leader of Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, has said that the criticism of American President Biden is the American belief that Netanyahu is responsible for not reaching the conclusion of the ceasefire agreement. He said the group would accept a ceasefire proposal that would secure a full Israeli return from Palestinian land.

Britain has suspended arms sales with Israel in a bid to pressure Netanyahu for a ceasefire. Britain's former national security advisor Peter Ricketts said that although the decision to suspend arms sales to Israel has been awaited for a long time, it will not change Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's thinking about war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision to suspend arms sales a "shameful" act. "Britain's misguided decision gives Hamas more courage," he said. "With or without British weapons, Israel will win this war and secure its future," Netanyahu said.

After becoming a major arms exporter, the Israeli military has been buying fighter jets, guided bombs and missiles from various countries. Recently, Israel has been buying weapons from the US, Germany, Italy and the UK.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), 69 percent of Israel's imports from 2019 to 2023 were American weapons. Likewise, from 2013 to 2023, Israel purchased 65.6 percent of its weapons from the United States, 29.7 percent from Germany, and 4.7 percent from Italy (according to SIPRI data). The Palestinian rebel group Hamas has warned that the hostages will be returned to the coffin if the Israeli army attacks 6. In recent times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been blaming Hamas for the release of prisoners through military pressure. Qassam Brigade spokesman Abu Obida said.

(with the help of agencies)