Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine), 08.05.2024
“Israeli sources say hostage deal efforts halted by Netanyahu, who is preparing the bloodbath of the Gazans in Raffa. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s renewed statements about an invasion of Rafah pushed Hamas to harden its demands after the two sides got close to reaching a deal a few days ago, The New York Times reported on Monday, citing an unnamed Israeli official”.[i]
According to the Jerusalem Post, The IDF announced on Monday morning that it has begun evacuating civilians from eastern Rafah to a new expanded humanitarian zone, which includes al-Mawasi and parts of Khan Yunis and central Gaza. The evacuation comes ahead of planned IDF operations in the Rafah area. The new humanitarian zone includes field hospitals, tents, and increased provisions of food, water, medicine, and other supplies.
What a humanitarian Zone! According to previous publications, Netanyahu has bought 40,000 tents for one-and-a-half civilian Palestinians who were forced to move from the north of the enclave to Raffa.
Netanyahu announced time and again that with or without a deal, Israel would invade Raffa. The Zionist cabinet decided on the evacuation on Sunday night, with War Minister Yoav Gallant informing US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about the decision overnight. Galant also told Austin a new lie that Israel made all efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal, insisting that, at this stage, Hamas was refusing all proposals. Another liar, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, says Israel has “agreed to significant concessions” to bring the captives home, but Hamas has “repeatedly refused. “Everyone understands that Sinwar has no intention of releasing all hostages, even in exchange for everything,” Katz stated in a post on X[ii]. However, he added a sentence that reveals Hamas’s Position: “He believes that the world will pressure Israel to stop the war unconditionally, and he will be able to continue to control Gaza”, Katz said of Sinwar[iii].
Thus, in the real world, Hamas insisted that a ceasefire means no shooting and no invasion of Rafah.
“Associated Press notes that about 1.4 million Palestinians – more than half of Gaza’s population – are jammed into Rafah and its surroundings. Most of them fled their homes elsewhere in the territory to escape Israel’s onslaught and now face another move. They live in densely packed tent camps, overflowing U.N. shelters or crowded apartments, and are dependent on international aid for food, with sanitation systems and medical facilities infrastructure crippled. Israel has repeatedly bombed the Rafah area and has also previously bombed the area it is now ordering Palestinians to flee to. During the discussion, Gallant also informed Austin about the rocket barrage fired at Kerem Shalom. The defense minister detailed the efforts the government made toward trying to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal, insisting that, at this stage, Hamas was refusing all proposals”.[iv]
In addition to preparation for the extended genocide, Netanyahu’s government is ready to kill the remaining Israeli captives. Israel is known for the Hanibal procedure that calls for killing Israelis who were caught as prisoners. Some of the relatives of the captive Israelis read the mind of Netanyahu and demanded a deal now and stop the war. The supporters of Netanyahu attack them as traitors. The problem with them is that they want to pause the war to exchange prisoners and captives but then continue it.
End the war now!
Exchange of all for all!
Down with the Zionist killing machine!
Israel out of Gaza!
For Palestine red and free from the river to the sea!
Endnotes:
[i] https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-800031
[ii] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/6/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-pounds-rafah-as-truce-talks-stall?update=2882167
[iii] Ibid
[iv] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/may/06/middle-east-crisis-live-updates-today-rafah-evacuation-gaza-israel-hamas-war-palestine