The decision suggests a way out of this conflict between Israel and Hamas. Ten days after the start of the fighting, which has already claimed more than 240 lives, most of them Palestinians, Israel and the Islamist movement approved a ceasefire on Thursday, May 20. This truce in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory of two million inhabitants under Israeli blockade, is due to begin at 2 a.m. on Friday, or 1 hour in Paris.
“The cabinet [de sécurité d’Israël] unanimously accepted the recommendation of all security officials (…) to accept the Egyptian initiative of an unconditional bilateral ceasefire ”Israeli authorities said in a statement. In the process, Hamas and Islamic Jihad – another armed group in the Gaza Strip – confirmed the entry into force of this truce.
The announcement comes after US President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to work towards de-escalation, amid attempts to mediate by Egypt, Qatar and the Organization of the United Nations (UN). Joe Biden should also speak Thursday evening from the White House on this subject.
This cycle of violence was sparked after Hamas fired bursts of rockets at the Hebrew state on May 10, in solidarity with the hundreds of Palestinians injured in clashes with the Israeli police on the Mosques plaza, third place. saint of Jerusalem, in the Palestinian sector of Jerusalem occupied by Israel for more than fifty years.
At least 232 Palestinians have died, including around 60 children, in the Israeli bombardments of Gaza. On the Israeli side, 12 people were killed, the Palestinian armed movements of Gaza having fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israeli territory.
Egypt will be responsible for ensuring that the ceasefire is respected
Egypt will send two delegations to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Territories to ensure respect for the ceasefire approved Thursday evening by Israel and Palestinian armed groups, said Egyptian diplomatic sources.
“Two Egyptian delegations will be sent to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Territories to monitor the implementation [du cessez-le-feu] and the process to maintain stable conditions permanently ”, these sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP), stressing that this truce “Simultaneous and mutual” had been “Negotiated by Egypt”.
Five people killed on Thursday
Hours before the ceasefire was announced, Israeli strikes intensified on the Palestinian enclave, sending clouds of smoke and debris into the sky as ambulances raced through the enclave. , according to AFP journalists.
At the end of the afternoon, another barrage of rockets targeted southern Israel, prompting residents to take refuge in bomb shelters. Five people were killed Thursday in the Gaza Strip.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, for his part considered that the continuation of Israeli and Palestinian fire was “Unacceptable”, adding that “The clashes had to end immediately”.
After the call of the American president, Joe Biden, for a ” de-escalation “ immediate and Washington’s refusal to support a resolution by France at the UN, Germany entered the scene on Thursday. German foreign minister Heiko Maas traveled to Israel, where he visited affected sites on Thursday. He argued that the Israeli strikes on Gaza fell within the remit of “Right to self-defense”, while calling for a rapid cessation of hostilities.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pleaded for a “Rapid cease-fire” in a telephone interview with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Reducing Hamas’ Capabilities
But the Palestinian Authority, which Mahmoud Abbas heads from the West Bank, has little influence in the Gaza Strip, a micro-territory under Israeli blockade and under the control of Hamas Islamists since 2007. Like Israel, the United States and the Union European Union consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization and they must use other channels to discuss a possible truce. Hence the role of Egypt, neighbor of Gaza, in particular.
For ten days, the Israeli army shelled the Gaza Strip. Israel has “Profited” of the situation, according to an Israeli military official, to “Reduce capacities” Hamas soldiers. During previous conflicts between Hamas and Israel, the first signs of de-escalation had notably gone through the establishment of “Humanitarian truces”, to allow the flow of international aid and urgent repairs to critical damaged infrastructure.
An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that the military was ready for further ” several days “ conflict. “What we are trying to do is precisely this: decrease their capacities, their terrorist means and decrease their determination”, added the Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu.
Our selection of articles on the escalation of Israeli-Palestinian violence