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Israel-Hamas, new raid in Gaza: 81 dead. Impasse after the truce? Netanyahu: "They are backtracking on the agreement"

After 15 months of conflict and over 46 deaths, Hamas and Israel reach an agreement. Trump is pleased. But after the announcement of the truce, new raids in Gaza with 81 deaths and Netanyahu's accusations against Hamas, which denies the step back

Israel-Hamas, new raid in Gaza: 81 dead. Impasse after the truce? Netanyahu: "They are backtracking on the agreement"

Less than 24 hours after the announcement of a deal truce in Gaza, the situation seems to be back at a standstill. Israel accuses Hamas of backtracking on parts of the agreement, without specifying which. But Hamas denies this. “Hamas is backtracking on agreed points and creating a last-minute crisis,” a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office read.

Immediate the Islamist group's response, which instead claims not to have changed its position: Hamas is not backtracking on the agreements reached for a truce in Gaza, says the organization's senior official, Izzat el-Risheq, but is committed to the agreement announced yesterday by the mediators.

Israel-Hamas: Deadlock After Truce?

Even the US admits impasse: the White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said the White House is “aware of the issues that Prime Minister” Netanyahu “has raised today and we are working on them. Our team on the ground is working with him and his team to iron out all of this and move forward.” Israeli sources said the Jewish state’s negotiating team and the head of the Mossad himself, David Barnea, are still at Doha to work out the details of the agreement. The Israeli Security Council meeting that was supposed to ratify the agreement and was supposed to be held this morning has been postponed and has not yet been reconvened.

Meanwhile, while diplomatic and political negotiations seem to be getting complicated, Israel continues to bomb GazaThe air forces of the Jewish state, the Civil Defense of Gaza reported, hit the Strip this morning causing 81 dead, including many women and children. A spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that Israeli raids killed a woman hostage of the Islamist group who was supposed to be freed following the agreement. “After announcing the agreement, the enemy army targeted a place where one of the prisoners from the first phase of the agreement was being held,” Abu Obeida said.

Un agreement as long awaited as fragile: the truce between Hamas e Israel was mediated by Qatar, Egypt e United States, after 15 months of war. Below, the details on the agreement and what is expected to happen in the coming days.

Gaza Truce: Trump and Biden Claim Credit

The announcement of the agreement, in the immediate aftermath, had the seal of Donald Trump, always ready to steal the show. At 18.00pm Italian time, the President-elect of the United States confirmed on Social Truth: “There is an agreement.” With his usual enthusiasm, the tycoon declared: “This epic ceasefire was only possible after our historic victory in November. We sent a clear message: my administration will work for peace and guarantee security for Americans and our allies.” If diplomacy moves slowly, Trump presented it as a triumph of his geopolitical vision.

Meanwhile, the outgoing president Joe Biden he claimed months of intense negotiations conducted by the United States, together with Qatar and Egypt. “This agreement will stop the fighting, provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians and reunite the hostages with their families,” Biden said, underlining the diplomatic work behind the scenes. And he added: “The terms will have to be implemented by the next administration. In these days we have talked and worked as one team.” A less bombastic speech, but one that vindicated the work behind the scenes.

Truce in Gaza: the timetable of the phases

The agreement is intended to develop in three steps main, with the before it will last 42 daysThe truce should come into effect Sunday, when the first three hostages belonging to vulnerable categories will be released. liberation will continue on a weekly basis, until the last week of the initial phase, during which the last 14 hostages will be released. The Israeli army, for the occasion, has given an evocative name to the operation: “Wings of Freedom” (Wings of Freedom).

Some reports estimate that only 24 of the 33 hostages are currently alive, but this is not certain. Hamas still holds 98 hostages, 36 of whom are reported to be dead. Among the planned releases are the case of two Israelis held in Gaza since 2014: a young Ethiopian and a mentally ill Bedouin, who will each be freed in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners.

During the second stage, scheduled for the 16th day, talks will begin for the release of the remaining hostages. third stage will include the return of the bodies and the definition of a reconstruction plan under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

The exchange of hostages and prisoners

In the first stage, Hamas to release 33 hostages, including women, the elderly, children and sick or injured people, in exchange for approximately 1.200 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Among them, there are 9 wounded or seriously ill hostages, who will be exchanged for 110 prisoners sentenced to life in prison. The five female soldiers shown in a video released by Hamas in the early days of the conflict will be released at a rate of one every week, each in exchange for 50 prisoners.

People over 50 will be exchanged according to a different criterion: an elderly person sentenced to life imprisonment will be exchanged for three inmates, while for less serious sentences the exchange will be one for 27. In addition, some Palestinian prisoners will not be allowed to return to the West Bank, but will be transferred abroad at Israel's request. Among the exclusions excellent there is Marwan Barghouti, leader of the first Intifada, who will remain in prison.

For now there is no official confirmation on the names of the hostages. Among the possible people involved, there are the little brothers Bibas (9 months and 5 years old at the time of the kidnapping) and their mother, kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Hamas had declared in a video in November 2023 that the three had died during an Israeli air raid.

An international monitoring mechanism will be established to verify compliance with the truce and the proper exchange of hostages and prisoners.

The withdrawal of Israeli forces

One of the most sensitive points concerns the Israeli military presence in Gaza. The agreement provides for a gradual withdrawal of defense forces during the first phase:

  • Withdrawal from urban centers: Israeli forces will progressively leave urban areas.
  • Access to the North for Palestinian civilians: Will be allowed, but with security checks.
  • Buffer zones: Israel will maintain a presence along the border with Egypt (the so-called Philadelphia Corridor) and along the eastern and northern edges of the Strip.
  • Netzarim Corridor: The withdrawal will also be gradual from this strategic area that divides Gaza in two.

The withdrawal will allow the daily entry of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid (of which 300 are destined for the north) through the Rafah crossing, which is essential to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The reactions

Despite the agreement, the path to lasting peace still appears complex. The chief negotiator of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, said: “We will neither forget nor forgive the suffering inflicted on our people.”

On the other hand, the Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, criticized the agreement as “dangerous” for national security. His faction has already announced that it will vote against the agreement in the Israeli government.

Meanwhile, theUN and the International Committee of the Red Cross praised the agreement, promising to support the implementation of the truce and the distribution of aid; while the Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated his support for the peace process, declaring: “Two peoples, two states: this must be the final goal.”

Article updated at 18.10

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