Operation Iron Swords - 18-24 August 2024

18 August 2024

Hamas refused the latest hostage deal proposal, accusing Netanyahu of setting “new conditions.” The latest offer was put forward after two days of talks between representatives from the US, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel. Hamas leadership was reportedly disappointed that Iran and its allies did not join the war at full force in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre. So this could be his strategy as Tehran considers a retaliation against Israel.

Hamas rejected the new U.S. bridging proposal which addressed Netanyahu's conditions, especially with regard to his refusal to stop the war and fully withdraw from Gaza and to continue to control the Philadelphi corrifor and the Netzarim corridor. Netanyahu wants control of the Philadelphi corridor which is both a violation of camp David accords with Egypt and something the IDF had stated is unnecessary. The proposal set new conditions regarding the prisoner exchange process and withdraws from previous clauses in a way that did not allow reaching an agreement.

The new proposal met Netanyahu's conditions and aligned with them, especially his rejection of a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal from Gaza. The new proposal met Netanyahu's conditions, especially his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim Junction, the Rafah Crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor. Netanyahu set new conditions and demands with the aim of thwarting the mediators' efforts and prolonging the war. The new proposal set new conditions on the prisoner exchange file and retreated from other items, which prevents the completion of the exchange deal.

Hamas in an official statement: After being briefed by the mediators about what happened in the talks in Doha, we came to the conclusion that Netanyahu continues to place obstacles in front of an agreement and sets new conditions and demands in order to undermine the mediation efforts and prolong the war.

19 August 2024

The movement's leader, Osama Hamdan, told Al Jazeera that talk of an updated proposal to reach an agreement means Washington's failure to oblige Netanyahu to the Biden proposal that Hamas agreed to, stressing the movement's adherence to its five demands stipulated in the US president's initiative. Hamdan wondered about the benefit of asking Hamas to present new approaches at a time when the Israeli side refuses to commit to the American initiative.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Washington's latest diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza as "perhaps the best and perhaps the last chance," and urged all parties to make it happen. Palestinian political analyst and head of the European Council for International Relations and Consultations, based in Paris, Adel Al-Ghoul, confirms that the plan proposed by Biden to cease fire in Gaza "was clear and received the approval of all parties as well as the Security Council and became an international resolution."

Speaking to Alhurra, Al-Ghoul believes that the differences between Hamas and Israel “are not deep and have begun to narrow,” and revolve around “two or three points” that can be negotiated in order to “reach an expected deal.”

20 August 2024

The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) issued a clarification regarding media reports regarding the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza , after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted the new US proposal, only for Netanyahu to return hours later and reaffirm his conditions. Hamas confirmed in the clarification that Al Jazeera Net obtained its commitment and immediate readiness to implement what it agreed to on July 2, based on the announcement of US President Joe Biden and the resolution of the UN Security Council.

According to the clarification issued by the movement’s political bureau member, Basem Naim, Biden’s declaration on May 31 (which is essentially an Israeli proposal according to his declaration), and Security Council Resolution 2735 of June 11, stipulate the following in the first phase (of 3 phases) of the ceasefire agreement:

• Immediate, complete and total ceasefire.
• Withdrawal of Israeli forces to the border.
• The return of the displaced to their homes in all areas of the Gaza Strip without any conditions.
• Adequate and safe entry of humanitarian aid and temporary housing.
• A serious exchange deal between the two parties.
• Negotiations during the first phase should lead to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

Hamas said it welcomed Biden's announcement and the Security Council resolution and submitted its response approving the mediators' proposal on July 2. But Netanyahu's response to all these projects and proposals - according to the movement's statement - was more massacres and killing (such as the Mawasi massacre, the assassination of the movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and the massacre of the Tab'een School in the Daraj neighborhood in Gaza).

Hamas added that Netanyahu set new conditions for negotiation, including:

• Not to withdraw from Rafah crossing .
• Not to withdraw from the Philadelphia axis .
• Not to withdraw from the Netzarim axis .
• Searching the displaced people returning to their homes from the south to the north.
• Changing what was agreed upon regarding the prisoner exchange deal, which means emptying the deal of its content.
• Linking humanitarian and reconstruction aid to approval of the above conditions.

He did not commit to continuing negotiations on the terms of the first phase (a complete and comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal to the borders) until the terms of the second phase were agreed upon, and he asked the Americans for a written pledge that would enable him to resume the war if he decided to do so. Hamas said that the US administration and the international community are required to "put an end to this rampage and pressure Netanyahu and his fascist government to stop the aggression and sign a ceasefire agreement."

Hamas added - in an official statement - that the statements of Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are "misleading allegations and do not reflect the truth of our position" which is keen to reach a halt to the aggression on Gaza. The statement stressed that Biden and Blinken's statements come within the framework of "American bias towards the Israeli occupation and partnership in the aggression and genocide " against the people of Gaza. Hamas considered these statements as "an American green light for the extremist Zionist government to commit more crimes against civilians."

Israeli media quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that it is not certain that a ceasefire agreement will be reached in the Gaza Strip , stressing that the Israeli army will not withdraw from the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes in any way, hours after his meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. According to Israeli reports, Netanyahu told representatives of the families of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza that Israel would not withdraw from the two axes "despite the enormous pressure" because they constituted strategic importance, both military and political, according to his expression. Yedioth Ahronoth also reported that Netanyahu told Blinken that Israel "will not stop until Hamas is eliminated."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated that work is underway to open the road to return residents to the north of the country, stressing that if the road is not opened through diplomacy, it will be opened by force. “At the same time, we look at Hezbollah’s aggression. It attacks every night, and we attack, whether in the division’s sector or in the deep attacks that we carried out tonight in the Baalbek area, in the Bekaa in general, on weapons depots, those that exploded there with high-quality ammunition. All of these things are operations that are considered, on the one hand, a routine of battles, and on the other hand, a preparation for anything that could happen,” he added. He continued, saying: "We want to return the population to the north, we want to return them safely. If the road is opened through diplomatic means, we will do so, or if not, we will open it by force, and this can happen in a short time frame."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naeini was quoted by state media as saying that the waiting period for Iran's response to Israel could be long. "Time is on our side and the waiting period for this response may be long," Naini said, referring to revenge against Israel. He added that Israel should expect a measured and precise response. Iranian state media quoted him as saying that Iranian leaders are studying all circumstances, and that Tehran's response will not follow the same methods of previous operations.

Haaretz said that the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has put reforming the country's economy and international relations at the top of his agenda, and that he is "concerned about an attack that could have dire consequences for the country." Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a press statement a few days ago: "We have the legitimate right to self-defense, which is completely unrelated to the ceasefire in Gaza. However, we hope that our response will be timely and carried out in a way that does not harm the potential ceasefire." Haaretz believes that the Iranian statement was "vague enough to allow everyone to interpret it as they please. The statement did not commit to the nature and timing of the response or even hint at it.

21 August 2024

During the past few days, it also became clear that the "gaps" between the two parties have no prospect of being resolved by American proposals, which critics say sometimes wave the flag of peace and consensus, and sometimes press a very harsh button that rains down flames, blood, and a list of dead that has exceeded 40,000 martyrs.

Neither the United States nor the mediators have revealed details of the proposal announced at the end of the last round of negotiations in Doha last Thursday and Friday - 15-16 August - but Israeli media sources have provided some details about it, such as:

• It meets most of Israel's demands without resolving the dispute over the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes .
• Determines the number and names of detainees to be released in the first phase.
• It includes the release of Israeli women and female soldiers first, and living detainees.
• It includes the names of Palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange for every Israeli captive.
• The list of Palestinian prisoners includes the names of 47 prisoners who were released in the deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and were recently re-imprisoned.

The New York Times reported that Hamas and Israeli officials said the American proposal leaves major differences unresolved, and appears to be consistent with new demands Netanyahu added last July for some Israeli forces to remain along the Gaza-Egypt border, according to Hamas and Israeli officials. Although Israel appeared to be the winner in these terms, and despite what Anthony Blinken announced about Netanyahu’s acceptance of them, Tel Aviv once again confirmed that it will not accept any negotiations that lead to ending the war, nor will it withdraw from the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes.

22 August 2024

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted a source as saying that arrangements are being made to hold a high-level meeting in Cairo regarding the negotiations on Saturday or Sunday, and the negotiating team is working around the clock to reduce the gap in the deal, especially regarding Philadelphia with the Egyptians. However, the Times of Israel quoted two Arab officials from a mediating country and a third official involved in the talks as saying that the recent US proposal's tilt in favour of Netanyahu's positions has brought the negotiations to a dead end. The newspaper quoted one of the officials as saying that there is no point in holding the meeting planned in Cairo this week unless Washington pressures Netanyahu to abandon his new demands. According to the newspaper, the three officials believe that the proposal presented by the Biden administration last week to "bridge the gaps" between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel greatly exaggerated in adopting Netanyahu's positions regarding the continued presence of the Israeli army at the Rafah crossing and the Netzarim axis.

Because an agreement that achieves these Israeli demands in their previous form necessarily equals a crushing defeat for the resistance and a severe reversal in the balance of power, Hamas stood guard and also defined its non-negotiable no’s. Between the two parties’ no’s, there is a gap between Israel’s ambition and its situation on the ground in Gaza, which means that a ceasefire is more elusive than ever, according to what several Western newspapers have reported, given the apparent alignment of the American mediator’s opinion with the Israeli side, which means that there are no guarantees of the seriousness of the negotiations or an expected time for their end, let alone reaching satisfactory results from them.

23 August 2024

More than ten months have passed since the war in the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands dead. The White House said that talks hosted by Cairo aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza were "constructive," denying press reports that they were "close to collapsing." White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed to reporters that "progress has been made" in the talks, calling on "all parties to work together to implement the proposed agreement." "The preliminary discussions we had in Cairo last night were constructive in nature. So we want to see a similar momentum continue here over the next few days," he added.

24 August 2024

Israeli N12 television reported 24 August 2024 that senior officials in Israel estimated Hezbollah will attack in the coming days. According to the sources, the organization is expected to respond in the coming days in response to the elimination of Fuad Shukar, regardless of the success or failure of the contacts for the kidnapping deal in Cairo. Times of Israel reports Israel believes Hezbollah is expected to respond to the recent assassination of top military commander Fuad Shukr’s assassination “in the coming days,” according to Channel 12 news. The network, which doesn’t cite a source, says Israeli officials assess the Lebanese terror group will attack regardless of the status of the hostage-ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.

The spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza, Major Mahmoud Basal, confirmed - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that the Israeli occupation raids and operations reduced the safe areas in the Gaza Strip from 240 square kilometers to 35 square kilometers. He said that since the beginning of the war, the Israeli occupation has been threatening the Palestinians with weapons and driving them out of their homes and areas where they have lived their entire lives. Under the bombardment, it began calling on people to leave the areas north of the Gaza Strip, then moved to the southern areas. After the Gazans used to live in an area of ??240 square kilometers, there has been a clear reduction in this area until it reached 35 square kilometers, which is not enough for the residents of Gaza, as every citizen in the Strip, whether in the southern or northern regions, has only a quarter of a meter to live in.