The exchange of accusations between Israel and Hamas for breaking the truce increases tension in Gaza while a new extension is negotiated

The first extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has almost been blown up. The Israeli army and the Islamist group that rules Gaza accused each other of having violated the truce after an incident in the northern Strip in which Hamas members and soldiers exchanged fire, leaving several Israelis injured.. Despite the moment of tension, both parties have respected the agreement and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners scheduled for this Tuesday has been carried out.. At the same time, the CIA and the Mossad, together with Egypt and Qatar, have continued negotiations in Doha, with which they hope that the extension of the two-day ceasefire (which ends on Thursday morning) can be extended longer. .

“Three explosive devices were detonated alongside Israeli Defense Forces troops in two different locations in the northern Gaza Strip, violating the framework of the operational pause. In one of the places, the terrorists also opened fire on the troops, who responded with fire. “Several soldiers were slightly injured in the incidents,” the Israeli military spokesperson reported.

Hamas' version is different. According to the Al Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist organization, Israel carried out “a clear violation of the truce” during an episode of “friction on the ground.” They did acknowledge the clashes as a response and clarified that they are “committed to the truce as long as the enemy maintains its commitment.” “We call on the mediators to pressure the occupation (Israel) to adhere to all the terms of the truce, both on the ground and in the air,” said Brigade spokesman Abu Obeida.

On the fifth day of the ceasefire, the release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners has occurred without incident. A total of 12 kidnapped people (two foreigners) and 30 Palestinian prisoners (15 minors and 15 women) were released this Tuesday, adding to the 69 hostages (50 of them Israelis) and 150 prisoners released during the first four days of truce.

In addition, another part of the agreement includes the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. On this day, as has happened on previous ones, several trucks have entered the Palestinian enclave that include, among other things, fuel and food.. The only setback has been the detention of one of them at the Rafah border crossing, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.. Likewise, UNICEF spokesperson, James Elder, warned this Tuesday of the situation in the Strip: “I have seen queues of more than a kilometer of people in the rain waiting to get gas for cooking and that half of them have had to go home empty-handed.”

Elder, who arrived in Gaza before the start of the truce, revealed that the influx of humanitarian aid is “significant, but insufficient” and that more days without bombing will be needed to serve all the people in need. “This is much worse than I imagined,” acknowledged the spokesperson, who has had an impact on the delicate situation in the south of the enclave, where there are more than 1.8 million displaced people who had barely received help in more than six weeks of Israeli bombings.

Negotiation in Gaza to extend the truce

Thousands of kilometers away, the director of the CIA, William Burns, the director of the Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of Egyptian Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, met in Doha to try to extend the truce in Gaza and achieve a halt to the permanent fire, according to security sources told the EFE agency. The meeting discussed “extending the truce to make it permanent, returning to the negotiating table and reactivating the peace process, which has been frozen for several years,” these sources have acknowledged.

Likewise, they pointed out that there was a “strong agreement” between the intelligence chiefs of the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar to achieve this objective, and affirmed that the director of the Mossad “showed a very positive response” to the proposals to continue with truce. For this expansion (already provided for in the agreement between Israel and Hamas last week) it would be necessary to continue releasing 10 Israeli hostages every day in exchange for a pause in the war and the handover of 30 Palestinian prisoners.

This information has also been confirmed by Israeli media and Al Jazeera. Furthermore, the spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majed al Ansari, has acknowledged that his country “will work intensely in the next 48 hours to reach an extension” of the truce, something that will depend on “Hamas' confirmation on the possibility of releasing to more hostages.”

For his part, the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi, warned this Tuesday that the Israeli Army is prepared to resume the war and has said that it is “using” the days of truce to strengthen preparations. The military leader has admitted that fighting Hamas “will take time” and added that Israel will not rest until all the hostages are released.