GAZA'S FRAGILE PEACE TO HOLD IF TRUMP STAYS THE COURSE

N a reminder that dark irony isn’t all spent in Gaza, the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is now hanging on the dead.

- R. SWAMINATHAN

What’s testing the pause in hostilities that came into effect on October 10 is the pace of returning the mortal remains of Israeli hostages. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the agreement they signed at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

Hamas had agreed to “release the remains of the deceased hostages in its possession and those in the possession of Palestinian factions in Gaza” and to share “all information obtained relating to any remaining deceased hostages” within 72 hours of the first phase of Israel Defense Forces’ withdrawal. So when Hamas released the remains of only four hostages on Monday, the families of the other hostages reacted with fury.

Israel retaliated swiftly, notifying the aid agencies it would allow only half the 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid that were agreed under the Trump Plan and delay the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, Gaza’s only exit to the world.

With Egypt applying pressure on Hamas, five more bodies were returned; 19 bodies still remain in Gaza. But their release is expected to be long and arduous, as they are buried somewhere under an estimated 60 million tonnes of debris with tens of thousands of unexploded ordnances.

The recovery of the region will require extensive efforts and special equipment. Hamas has conveyed it “has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the corpses it could access”.

The episode demonstrated Israel’s ability to punish Gaza at its choosing.