Bridging over troubled waters

Following the failure of the Biden Plan, the 'bridging proposal' put forth by Antony Blinken is also on the verge of collapse in the wake of glaring mistrust between Hamas and Israel

- PRABHU DAYAL

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his visit to Israel earlier this week, saying that he had consulted with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had accepted a ‘bridging proposal’ for a ceasefire in Gaza. He also called on Hamas to accept the ‘bridging proposal’.

What is the Gaza ceasefire ‘bridging proposal’, and will it work in the troubled waters of the Israel-Hamas war? Can we expect the fighting to be ended in Gaza and peace to be established? In my estimation, a peace deal is still very elusive.

Disagreements over Israel’s future military presence in Gaza are hindering progress on a ceasefire and hostage deal. Moreover, Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel will not stop the attacks until Hamas has been completely destroyed, and Hamas is unwilling to trust Israel for this reason. In this scenario, ending the conflict is not easy at all.

Blinken’s recent visit to Israel was an attempt to bridge the gaps. Clearly, he failed to secure a breakthrough for a Gaza ceasefire deal.

More than ten and a half months have elapsed since the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict started in Gaza. Many efforts have been made to end it but without success, for the conflict is showing no signs of ending. The underlying reason is that there is a big trust deficit between Hamas and Israel.

It may be recalled that Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. The Israeli military launched a counter-offensive in Gaza in which at least 40,334 Palestinians have been killed and 93,956 wounded. The vast majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced. A humanitarian crisis of unspeakable dimensions has resulted, and the life of the Palestinians in Gaza has become worse than hell. Ending this conflict is proving to be a huge challenge.