Israel-Hamas truce: Is this the end of the conflict?
Scores of hostages have been freed, and the pause in the fighting has also allowed humanitarian relief to reach thousands. This may not be the end of the conflict, which has claimed over 11,000 lives since Hamas’ 7 October terror attack. But how exactly did we get here? The truce was brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.
Under its terms, a pause in fighting was put into place for four days, giving both sides time to exchange hostages. The truce came into effect on Friday and 24 captives held in Gaza were released while Israel released 39 Palestinians from prison. On Sunday, a second group of hostages were released by Hamas.
In total, 50 Israeli hostages are expected to be exchanged for 150 Palestinians prisoners. The truce will also allow deliveries of fuel and aid to flow into Gaza, which has faced an acute humanitarian crisis since the fighting began. Many welcomed it.
US President Joe Biden hailed the deal. China, Russia, the European Union, France, the UK, Egypt and Qatar all saw the truce as a positive development. Other countries such as Jordan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia weighed in and stated that humanitarian aid should continue.
However, a worrying constituency of opposition has come up in Israel. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the hardline minister for national security, opposed the truce and stated that it would only give Hamas more time to regroup. He also stated that the truce deal would cause “great harm for generations".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure at home to secure the release of hostages. Israel’s longtime leader has seen public support erode after the attacks. Many believe the objective of securing hostages has been given short shrift.
Read more on livemint.com
