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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210816-are-the-palestinians-in-gaza-and-israel-heading-for-a-new-confrontation/">middleeastmonitor.com</a>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Are the Palestinians in Gaza and Israel heading for a new confrontation?</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Motasem A Dalloul - August 16, 2021</div></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div> <p> <span> August 16, 2021 at 4:04 pm </span> </p></div><div id="gmail-post-content"> <p>Officials
of Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip met on Monday
afternoon to discuss how to deal with the Israeli procrastination over
its pledges to fulfil the terms of the ceasefire that ended the
occupation state's 11-day offensive on the besieged enclave between 11
and 21 May. The meeting was due to be held at the office of Yahya
Al-Sinwar, the senior Hamas official in Gaza, but minutes after it was
opened, a security alert caused the building to be evacuated.
Apparently, a rocket was fired from Gaza towards Israel.</p> <p>The
Palestinian factions announced earlier that they might be heading for a
new confrontation with Israel if the occupation state does not commit to
the pledges it made in May.</p> <p>Regional and international actors,
including the UN and the US, brokered the indirect talks between the
Palestinian resistance groups and Israel. The ceasefire terms stipulated
that Israel would reopen the border crossings, ease the 15-year-old
siege imposed on the coastal enclave, allow the entry of humanitarian
funding from Qatar and facilitate the reconstruction of the territory in
the wake of the latest Israeli military offensive.</p> <div id="gmail-attachment_470983" class="gmail-wp-caption"><p><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2740.jpg?fit=933%2C659&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1" alt="Death toll in Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip keeps rising...- Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]" style="margin-right: 0px;" width="435" height="308"></p><p class="gmail-wp-caption-text">Death toll in Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip keeps rising…- Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]</p></div><p>However,
Israel has denied this and said that the ceasefire was unconditional.
The resistance groups and Egypt, the main intermediary, insist that it
was conditional. As a result, life for Palestinians in Gaza has become
even more difficult.</p> <p>The UN and other international bodies, as
well as several Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, have
described life in Gaza since May as "unbearable". They insist that
Israel should allow raw materials to enter the enclave to boost local
industry and help Gaza residents to cope with the difficult living
conditions.</p> <p>According to some Israeli officials though, including
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defence Minister Benny Gantz, the
price of easing the siege is the release of Israelis held captive in
Gaza. They deny making pledges to Egypt and the other ceasefire brokers.
However, it seems that the issue of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza was
only a pretext to keep the siege in place for the same reason that it
was imposed all those years ago: to make life for the Palestinians in
Gaza so bad that they will bring an end to Hamas rule.</p> <p><strong>READ: <a title="Israel, Hamas closer to conflict than calm, report warns" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210816-israel-hamas-closer-to-conflict-than-calm-report-warns/">Israel, Hamas closer to conflict than calm, report warns</a></strong></p> <p>During
and after the Israeli offensive on Gaza in May, the Palestinians showed
unprecedented support for the resistance groups, especially the Islamic
Resistance Movement, Hamas. It has been ruling Gaza since 2006
following its overwhelming victory in the parliamentary election.</p> <p>Israel
has been blocking the Qatari funds, only partially opened the crossings
and enforced a full ban on construction materials. Moreover, even
patients requiring urgent treatment abroad have difficulties leaving and
re-entering Gaza. In related moves, Israel, certain Arab countries and
the US have been working to strengthen the Ramallah-based Palestinian
Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas. This demonstrates that Israel's
procrastination is intended to weaken Hamas and create internal pressure
against the movement.</p> <p>In an effort to make some progress, the
resistance groups have intermittently allowed the launch of incendiary
balloons towards Israel, but this has not stirred the Israelis into
acknowledging and acting upon the ceasefire terms. The factions are now
ready to discuss new measures to push Israel to respect its pledges.
According to the spokesman of Islamic Jihad in Palestine, they "will not
let Israel use the siege to cover up its failure on the ground and we
will not surrender to it, we will fight it."</p> <div id="gmail-attachment_470985" class="gmail-wp-caption"><p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2742-scaled.jpg?fit=933%2C579&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1" alt="- Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]" style="margin-right: 0px;" width="435" height="270"></p><p class="gmail-wp-caption-text">No human rights in Gaza – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]</p></div><p>While
has been no clear indication of how the Palestinian resistance might
deal with the Israeli procrastination, Hamas Political Bureau member
Izzat Al-Resheq warned that Israel must end its violations in Jerusalem
and address the damage caused by the bombardment of Gaza. "What comes
after the 'Sword of Al-Quds' battle will not be like what went before,"
he told Reuters, "because the Palestinian people backed the resistance
and know that the resistance is what will liberate their land and
protect their holy sites."</p> <p>Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said
yesterday that the silence of his movement would not last for too long.
"If Israel wants the state of calm to continue, it must fulfil its
pledges," he said. He mentioned specifically easing the siege and
allowing the entry of construction materials.</p> <p><strong><a title="Israel's siege is halving Gaza patients' survival rates, it's time to act" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210811-israels-siege-is-halving-gaza-patients-survival-rates-its-time-to-act/">OPINION: Israel's siege is halving Gaza patients' survival rates, it's time to act</a></strong></p> <p>"The
Palestinian factions are certainly going for a new escalation if Israel
does not move to improve the lives of the Gaza residents and lift
restrictions on imports and exports," commented Palestinian journalist
and writer Mustafa Al-Sawwaf.</p> <p>Israeli journalist Baruch Yedid,
though, told me that Israel "is putting pressure on Gaza for a certain
reason, but it does not want to end up with a military action."</p> <p>The
views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not
necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.</p> <div> <p><br>
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