The uncertainty in the Middle East is palpable as the first phase of the Alto El Fuego agreement between Israel and Hamas comes to an end. This agreement, which includes an exchange of people, has been marked by ups and downs, with Israel receiving 33 hostages – 25 alive and eight dead – as stipulated. However, the Removal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, a key component of the agreement, does not seem to be happening.
On Thursday, an anonymous Israeli officer stated that Israel will not abandon the Philadelphia corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt. “We will not allow Hamas’s murderers to travel our borders again with trucks and weapons, and we will not allow it to rise through smuggling,” the official said, citing Hamas’s use of the route to introduce smuggling weapons into Gaza.
The past week has seen significant developments, including the return of the bodies of Oded Lifschitz and three members of the Bibas family. Israel had stopped the release of Palestinian prisoners due to what it deemed vexatious ceremonies by Islamists for the return of hostages, both living and dead. In response, Hamas returned four bodies without ceremony, and Israel subsequently released over 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. However, Israeli authorities have not made any pronouncements regarding the second phase of the agreement.
In July, when negotiating teams believed they were close to reaching an agreement with Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added new conditions aimed at maintaining Israel’s presence in the Philadelphia corridor, which sabotaged the conversations, according to both Israeli and Arab officials. The agreement that Netanyahu accepted six months later still maintained the requirement that Israel begins its withdrawal from the Philadelphia corridor on the 42nd day of the first phase of the pact and that this withdrawal concludes before the 50th day of Alto El Fuego.
Hamas, on the other hand, has communicated its willingness to extend the first stage of the agreement but has not yet received a concrete proposal for it or for the start of the second stage. Several Israeli politicians have expressed a preference for another round or two of hostage and prisoner exchanges within the framework of the first stage, to include injured and sick hostages, as well as those with children. Moreover, two Egyptian security sources revealed that the Israeli delegation in Cairo is attempting to reach an agreement to extend the first stage by 42 more days.
However, Hamas seems to have changed its stance on this matter. Taher al-Nunu, a member of the organization, stated that Israel’s policies do not allow for the extension of the first stage of the agreement. “The interruption (by Israel) of the second stage of the agreement does not allow an extension of the first stage,” he said. “We are committed to the ceasefire agreement, and now the responsibility of forcing the occupation (Israel) to implement it lies with them.” Analysts interpret this as an indication that Hamas is not interested in freeing the hostages it holds captive without a clear position from Israel regarding the end of the war.
Manifestations in Israel
The return of hostages’ bodies has sparked significant emotional responses in Israel. After the body of hostage Itzik Elgrat was returned, his brother Danny called for true civil resistance, rather than just symbolic protests. Elgrat, who has been active in protests to achieve a ceasefire and the return of hostages, criticized citizens for merely presenting their respects to the murdered, such as during the funeral of the Bibas family, instead of participating in a continuous struggle for change. Itzik Elgrat, 69, was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz, wounded in one arm, and killed in captivity. He was a neighbor of the Bibas family.
Yishai Lavi-Miran, whose 48-year-old husband remains in Gaza, expressed her hopes for the continuation of releases and the advancement of the second phase of the agreement. “I sincerely hope that in the next few days we receive news that the releases continue, that phase two is advancing, that everyone is returning home, and we will know exactly when the last hostage will return. For us, for our children, for the future generation of Israel, so that our children can reconstruct what our generation has destroyed,” she said.
The next hours will be decisive in determining the extent to which the truce holds in the region, as all parties await developments with bated breath. The situation remains volatile, with each side looking to the other for commitment to the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages, setting the stage for a potentially pivotal moment in the conflict.