Waiting room: Israel and Hamas maintain shaky truce in Gaza

The Israeli Military-Political Committee is considering all scenarios in the event of a violation of the truce by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office told Izvestia. The IDF returned to observing the ceasefire in Gaza after it attacked the exclave on October 28. Earlier, armed radicals fired at Israeli soldiers in the Rafah area, killing one soldier. Against the background of the worsening situation, Hamas expanded the search for the bodies of hostages, while Egyptian specialists with heavy equipment were deployed to the sector. The situation is aggravated by accusations from Israel of forgery in the transfer of the remains of hostages and problems with establishing the exact location of the remaining bodies. US President Donald Trump expressed support for Israel's actions, assuring that this would not jeopardize the ceasefire. How the parties are trying to maintain a fragile truce is described in the Izvestia article.

Israel launched new attacks on Gaza

The truce between Israel and Hamas is on the verge of collapse. The IDF again launched a series of powerful strikes on the Gaza Strip after violating the ceasefire on the evening of October 28. Netanyahu made the decision to launch the operation at an emergency meeting with representatives of law enforcement agencies. According to the office of the head of government, the strikes were a response to the shelling of Israeli troops in the Rafah area in the south of the exclave. Armed radicals opened fire on the patrol, as a result of the attack, one soldier was killed and several others were injured. Hamas said it was not involved in the attack.

"The country's military and Political Committee is considering the broadest possibilities if violations of the ceasefire by Hamas continue," Dmitry Gendelman, an adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister's office, told Izvestia.

According to the latest data from the Al Jazeera TV channel, the death toll as a result of Israel's retaliatory attacks has reached 91, dozens were injured. Representatives of Hamas accused the IDF of "gross violation of the ceasefire," while in West Jerusalem they laid full responsibility on the Palestinian side.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said in a statement that the IDF "responded decisively" and killed dozens of commanders of Palestinian armed groups. According to him, the strikes were directed against the Hamas infrastructure, weapons depots and underground tunnels used by the radicals.

The Israel Defense Forces later announced that it had returned to observing the ceasefire after the operation was completed.

— No representative of a terrorist organization, either in a suit or in a tunnel, will enjoy immunity. Anyone who raises their hand against the Israeli military will pay the full price," Katz said.

Search for bodies of hostages in Gaza

Meanwhile, Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of deception in handing over the remains of the hostages. According to a statement from the prime minister's office, on the evening of October 27, a coffin was handed over in Gaza, which, according to Israeli forensic experts, contained parts of the remains of a man whose body had already been returned almost two years ago. In Jerusalem, they considered this a forgery and a violation of the agreements.

Hamas, in turn, reported that they were having difficulty finding remains under the rubble and did not have the necessary equipment. Representatives of the movement claim that the Israeli strikes have complicated access to places where bodies may be located.

On October 26, the Red Cross and Egyptian specialists received permission to search for the bodies of the dead hostages outside the "yellow line" marking the withdrawal of Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip. Egypt has sent a team of experts and special equipment to the exclave to help in the search.

Palestinian security expert Mohammed al-Masri noted that the new developments since the Egyptian search and rescue teams entered Gaza with special equipment show that it is impossible to violate the ceasefire or return to hostilities. Especially considering the fact that these teams entered the exclave as intermediaries for the implementation of the first stage of the transaction.

— Now we are talking about the loss of information about the location of four bodies of hostages, but eight others are actively searched in the area of ruins, — the expert told Izvestia.

According to him, it is even more important that a kind of partnership should arise on earth: Egypt, Hamas and Israel are in close proximity and can communicate. "There is a serious process going on there. Egyptian specialists have experience and great opportunities," stressed al-Masri.

In addition, the Israeli side accused Hamas of staging the discovery of the hostages' bodies for international observers. The IDF released a video in which supporters of the movement allegedly moved the remains from hiding places and reburied them nearby. After that, according to the Israeli side, representatives of Hamas called the Red Cross staff and organized a staged "discovery" of the hostage's body.

The Israeli military believes that in this way the movement is trying to simulate activity, while concealing the facts of the retention of the remains, which, according to the terms of the agreements, should have been transferred. They also rejected the Palestinian side's claims about the lack of engineering equipment, stressing that such equipment is not required to transfer bodies that have already been found and cannot serve as an excuse for delaying the process.

The parties are interested in a truce

Nevertheless, the Israeli side believes that Hamas has information about the location of at least eight bodies, the Ynet portal writes. After the new attacks, the militant wing of Hamas discovered the remains of two more hostages, Baruch Saar and Amiram Cooper. This was reported by the Maan agency close to the movement.

Roman Yanushevsky, editor-in-chief of the website of the 9th Israeli TV channel, noted in a conversation with Izvestia that Hamas' statements about the "sudden discovery" of bodies were not accidental and largely reflected the movement's internal political game. According to him, Hamas did this under pressure from intermediaries and against the background of Israeli strikes. "It is quite obvious that Hamas knew perfectly well where the bodies of the hostages were hidden. This is not yet a failed cease—fire, but a step that can lead to it," he said.

Against the background of the worsening situation in Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations with representatives of the United States and Egypt, who mediate in negotiations between the parties. According to Israeli media, they discussed how to stabilize the situation and prevent further escalation.

Despite the increased frequency of clashes in the Palestinian exclave, the likelihood of a full-fledged resumption of hostilities is still quite low, says orientalist Leonid Tsukanov.

"Both sides are interested in maintaining a shaky truce, and therefore agree to balance within the framework of short—term retaliatory strikes," the specialist told Izvestia.

On the other hand, the expert notes that Israel's retaliatory actions are many times greater in scale and destructiveness than the Palestinian attacks, which in the future may create the ground for new, more prolonged clashes inside Gaza.

US President Donald Trump, commenting on recent events, supported Israel's actions. He stated that "Tel Aviv has the right to respond in the event of an attack" and stressed that this "will not lead to the breakdown of the ceasefire."

"They killed an Israeli soldier, and Israel responded — as it should have responded. But this does not jeopardize the truce. Nothing will jeopardize the Gas agreement," Trump told reporters on his way to APEC in South Korea.

Despite the words about the return to compliance with the ceasefire, the situation in the sector remains tense. The Israeli army remains on high alert, and the Palestinian side reports disruptions in the supply of humanitarian aid. Even isolated incidents can again provoke a full-scale resumption of hostilities.