Description: Israel and Hamas maintained their categorical positions regarding the US – proposed 60 – day ceasefire in Gaza. Both sides continued to shift blame for the numerous impasses which were preventing the termination of the war in the enclave. Israel has reportedly agreed completely to dedicate its political forces towards the proposals outlined in the agreement, however, Hamas has rejected several key points making the prospect of peace even more elusive. Hamas has contested the withdrawal positions of the Israeli military claiming that Israel according to the proposition would still be in a position to control the influx of humanitarian aid and maintain ground control over the enclave. The delivery mechanism of humanitarian aid was the second disputed point in the intermediated negotiations as Hamas insisted for the UN to take control of the delivery while Israel has rejected UN presence in the enclave and enforced for humanitarian aid to be delivered through the controversial GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation). Egyptian and Qatari mediators have stressed the negotiations to be at a breaking point since there are several sticking points that at this point weren’t subjected to change.
Impact: The intermediate negotiations have reached another boiling point, further threatening the situation in the Gaza Strip. Continued differences between Israel and Hamas have positioned the ceasefire proposal on the brink of failure which would reinitiate violence and humanitarian disaster for over 2 million people in the enclave. The projections gathered from the mediators weren’t promising, citing concerns over the radically undertaken positions by both sides. The US despite expectations of imposing diplomatic pressure on Israel has been passive and uninvolved in the latest initiative after 8 rounds of mediated negotiations during the past week. Hamas is unlikely to accept any concessions regarding the disputed post ceasefire positioning of the Israeli military and the delivery mechanisms for humanitarian aid, while Israel is unlikely to agree to any of Hamas’ demands regarding the same issues. The negotiations are moving from a stagnant phase towards faltering, which would plunge Gaza into a renewed cycle of violence and humanitarian disaster.