Yossi Schwartz ISL( RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine), 15.01.2024
Based on the information on the agreement between Hamas and Israel provided by the JDN [i] It seems as if we should give it highly critical support. The main problem with it is that Israel may continue the war after the first stage. In the first stage, Israel will not Withdraw from all of Gaza. Yet, considering the conditions in Gaza and the conditions of Hamas, it is not a bad agreement, and it is not surprising that the very right-wing Zionists are condemning it as a betrayal. It would be ridiculous to criticize Hamas for signing such a deal. Of course, the task of anti-imperialists in Israel and the West is to sharply denounce Israel’s policy of terror, which has forced Hamas to sign such a deal. To take the analogy of Brest-Litovsk. The Bolsheviks were right to sign the treaty and ultra-left opponents had to be put in a minority. But, equally, it was the task of German communists to sharply denounce this deal as an expression of German imperialism (which the Spartacists led by Rosa Luxemburg did.).
The primary responsibility for the conditions of Hamas is the regime in Iran that pressured Hezbollah to agree to a ceasefire. The pressure on Israel to agree to this agreement is the pressure by most Israelis who want to see an end to the war, the Western imperialists that also want to see the end of the war, especially in light of the many Israeli soldiers killed every day in Gaza. In addition, the economic cost to Israel is enormous.
In the first stage, the “humanitarian” stage, 33 hostages will be released. Hamas has not yet handed over to Israel how many of them are alive, but Israel estimates that most of them (at least 20) are alive.
In the first stage, women (civilians and soldiers), children, adults over the age of 50, the wounded, and the sick will be released. None of these 33 abductees has already been officially defined as someone who is not among the living, but there are some who in Israel “have a grave fear for their lives.”
Israel is not committed to ending the war and can return to fighting at the end of Phase A. On the 16th day of the implementation of the agreement in Stage A, detailed negotiations will begin on a continuation to Stage B, in which Israel demands the release of all the other Israeli war prisoners without a third stage.
The first Israelis will be released on the first day of the deal. During the entire period of the agreement, Zionist forces will not fully withdraw from the territory of the Gaza Strip and will remain in the “buffer zone,” the perimeter, along the Gaza border in order to enable the protection of the “communities” surrounding the Gaza Strip. The withdrawal from territories in the Gaza Strip will be gradual throughout the ceasefire.
There will also be “security arrangements” on the Philadelphi Route. At the beginning of the ceasefire, the Zionist army will remain on the Philadelphi Route, but will later withdraw from parts of it.
The Zionist army will withdraw from the Netzarim route and allow the return of Gazan civilians to the northern Gaza Strip, but under “security arrangements.” In addition, the passage of armed men and the passage of weapons into the north of the Gaza Strip will not be allowed through mechanisms agreed upon between the parties. Israel does not specify the details of the mechanism in question.
“According to the details, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners of war, according to the keys, according to the number of hostages who will be released. In other words, at this stage, it is impossible to say how many Palestinian fighters are expected to be released as long as Hamas does not hand over how many abductees from the list are alive. The keys to the release of Palestinians are, accordingly. Palestinian fighters who killed Israelis will also be released, but they will not be released to the West Bank (Israel does not specify where they will be released). The Nukhba prisoners who participated in the 7/10 event will not be released. Political sources: “We have reached progress on the issue of the lists of terrorists who are expected to be released.”
The deal includes a component of bringing significant humanitarian aid, as well as supplies and logistical equipment, into the Gaza Strip.
Political sources make it clear that “we are keeping significant assets in our hands for the continuation of the negotiations – both geographical assets and Palestinians who remain in our hands and will not be released until the last of the abductees returns home.” [ii]
Endnotes:
[i] https://www.jdn.co.il/news/2337494/
[ii] Ibid