The Israeli authorities are considering two options for ending hostilities in the Gaza Strip, one of which is occupation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the country’s attempts to end hostilities in the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday, May 19.
“Israel is trying to achieve a state of containment with Hamas and thereby end the hostilities” , – he said.
At the same time, Netanyahu did not rule out “other options” for the development of events.
“There are two possibilities to achieve peace and security: either to occupy Gaza, or to create a deterrent. We do not discount any possibility”, – the prime minister said.
At the same time, The New York Times writes about the emerging signs that the parties are seeking a ceasefire.
For example, a senior Israeli government official who has the right to negotiate a ceasefire said that Israel was not yet ready for this, but recognized this possibility soon.
In turn, the representative of Hamas in Qatar Mussa Abu Marzouk said that the group is ready for a ceasefire with Israel. He said Israel is demanding that Hamas unilaterally cease fire for two to three hours before Israel decides whether it will do the same.
At the same time, Moussa Abu Marzouk allowed a new escalation if Israel continues to evict Palestinian families in East Jerusalem or commit violence against Palestinians at the Aksa mosque.
Meanwhile, Politico reports that the administration of US President Joe Biden is putting pressure on Israel behind the scenes to resolve the conflict.
“US officials have privately called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides to curtail his country’s operations against the Gaza Strip, which included airstrikes”, – the newspaper said.
Note that in recent days, the intensity of hostilities has decreased. Over the past night, Hamas fired about 50 missiles, and the Israeli Air Force attacked 40 targets in the Gaza Strip.
Since May 10, at least 3,750 missiles have been fired at Israel, 550 of them fell in the Palestinian enclave itself, about 90% were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.