Gaza’s Hopes For Ceasefire Dim

As an uneasy truce between Israel and Hezbollah offers the Lebanese a desperately needed reprieve, Palestinians in Gaza feel abandoned, even as the US pushes for a renewed effort to end the fighting in the enclave.

For almost a year, Hezbollah vowed not to stop battling Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. In September, Israel stepped up its campaign against the Lebanese militant group, assassinating its top brass and launching a ferocious aerial and ground operation into southern Lebanon, which forced Hezbollah to abandon its condition for a ceasefire.

“Gaza is left alone. Hezbollah has its own calculations to abandon Gaza to preserve what was left of its forces… it’s not to our advantage,” said Hatem Mohamed, 47, a resident of Gaza City. “This agreement will allow Israel to only focus on the Palestinians and what is left of the Palestinian cause.”

Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages have been deadlocked for months, with both sides refusing to compromise on their demands.

Qatar, a key mediator in previous Gaza ceasefire negotiations, stepped back from its role this month and shut Hamas’ political office in the capital Doha after concluding that the two sides are no longer negotiating in good faith. Turkey, which has ties to Hamas, dispelled reports that the group’s bureau had been relocated to the country, but said that Hamas officials come and go from the country on a regular basis.

“I don’t think a ceasefire in Lebanon has changed much for the dynamics of a Gaza ceasefire,” said Tahani Mustafa, senior Palestine analyst at International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank.

“Both sides have mutually exclusive demands, and there’s no pressure on Israel to really scale back and start taking the negotiation seriously. Israel wants to destroy Hamas, keep troops on the ground, and potentially resettle in the north, which is unacceptable to Hamas,” she said. “Hamas wants a total cessation of hostilities, return of people to their homes in the north, and no Israeli ground presence…that’s completely unacceptable to Israel.”

CNN/Shakirat Sadiq