Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement, brokered by the US and Qatar. The details are to be finalised at a meeting of the Israeli cabinet today.
Rumours of a possible ceasefire, which have been circulating for the past few days, were confirmed on Wednesday evening when the agreement was announced by the US and Qatar. Hostilities are due to end on Sunday and will reportedly involve three phases: prisoner exchanges, troop withdrawals and reconstruction.
The Israeli attack has been ongoing since 7 October 2023. The Israeli military has been widely condemned for committing genocide in the Strip, with the International Criminal court issuing arrest warrants for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. 46,707 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the 467 day long assault, and two million displaced.
On Thursday morning however, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said that part of the agreement could be renegotiated, without giving further details. A delay in the meeting could have implications for the durability of the ceasefire.
The negotiations coincide with an escalation of Israeli attacks on the West Bank. At least six Palestinians were killed in a drone strike on Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday, while Israeli settlers attacked the villages of Qusra and Burin, under the protection of the Israeli army.
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Meanwhile, Israel is continuing its operations inside Syrian territory. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that an Israeli drone attacked a military convoy belonging to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the town of Ghadir Al-Bustan in the southern countryside of Al-Qunaitrah, just a few kilometres from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The same source reported that the attacks coincided with an HTS operation in the town to search for weapons in civilians’ homes. On 13 January, another attack was carried out by Israeli warplanes on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Israel’s presence on Syrian territory, coinciding with the negotiations on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, suggests that Israel may increase the weight of its military intervention against Syria if the agreement is signed and implemented.
