Out of the rubble of Iran, renewed hopes for a Gaza ceasefire
Without being too rosy-eyed, the possibility of a new ceasefire in Gaza looks the best it has since death took a brief holiday in January when US President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
That ceasefire collapsed after just two months, and it was back to war as usual following the murderous Hamas raid of October 7, 2023, that saw some 1200 people killed and 251 taken as hostages. Horror has piled upon horror for most of the 20 months since, with kidnapped Israelis used as pawns and Israel killing nearly 100,000 Palestinians.
Now basking in the glory of bringing an end to Israel's 12-day war with Iran, Trump has taken the opportunity to push again for Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. He has hinted at an agreement this week with an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to arrive in Washington for ceasefire talks. There are also plans for Netanyahu to visit the US soon.
Trump also appears to calm legal storms buffeting Netanyahu by linking US aid to Israel with the prime minister's corruption trial after a court rejected his request last week for a delay while he negotiated the fallout from the conflict with Iran.
Netanyahu made a latter-day political career out of waging a war on Gaza that polarised many of his fellow Israelis and menaced his political career. But the US bombing strikes on Iranian nuclear sites have turned the Israeli leader into a good guy at home for many, and his improved poll ratings have certainly afforded him a better shot at re-election. Consequently, there are renewed hopes in some quarters that Netanyahu has won new flexibility on seeking a Gaza resolution.
A ceasefire in Gaza is long overdue and much needed. The obscenity of the initial Hamas raid has been countered by remorseless Israeli attacks on innocent civilians and the more recent footage showing the aftermath of Palestinians killed or wounded by gunfire, tanks and airstrikes, some while desperately waiting at aid distribution points.
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Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. And Israel is continuing air strikes on Gaza.
But there is hope among families of hostages that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might lead to more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Of course, as is often the case with Trump, he speaks with forked tongues, a habit that makes it difficult to place much faith in his multitudinous pronouncements, such as spruiking bleach to treat COVID-19, promising to end Middle East and Ukraine conflicts, and imposing tariffs.
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