Xinhua Agency, Jerusalem/Gaza, October 6 Hot Q&A | Three questions on the second anniversary of the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Newspaper reporter Lu Yuan Wang Chuan Zhao Wei Hong.

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacked Israeli civilian targets from the Gaza Strip, and Israel launched a massive military operation in the Gaza Strip. So far, the conflict has lasted for two years, and how is the situation in the Gaza Strip?

What is the current situation in Gaza

The population of the Gaza Strip was approximately 2.3 million before the outbreak of the conflict. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israel¡¯s military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 670,000 Palestinians and injured more than 16,9 million in the past two years.

Ahmed Shaban, a resident from Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, told Xinhua News Agency that Israeli air strikes continued and "several buildings collapsed, blocking many main streets in Gaza City." Mohammed Abdel-Al, a surgeon at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, said that dozens of wounded people are sent every day, and medical resources are seriously insufficient. "Hospitals have long been overloaded, and a ceasefire is a matter of life and death".

According to the World Health Organization¡¯s assessment report, more than 16,7 million people have been injured in armed conflicts in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, with approximately 4,2 million seriously injured, with a quarter of the seriously injured children.

Israel¡¯s two-year military operations in the Gaza Strip have aggravated the local humanitarian crisis. The relevant UN agencies released a report on August 22 that more than half a million people are starving in the Gaza Strip. This is the first time a famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East. The report shows that by the end of September, more than 64 million people in the Gaza Strip will be in the most severe ¡°disaster¡± phase in terms of food security, 114.000 in the first ¡°emergency¡± phase, and 39,6 million in the ¡°crisis¡± phase.

Did the "20-point plan" bring about changes

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on September 29 after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the White House that Netanyahu accepted the ¡°20-point plan.¡± Hamas announced on the evening of 3 September that it agreed in principle to release all Israeli detainees and bodies under the ¡°20-point plan¡± and was willing to negotiate immediately through mediation to discuss the details of implementation.

Trump posted on social media on the 4th, saying that Israel has agreed to a "preliminary withdrawal line" in the Gaza Strip and that "the ceasefire will take effect immediately" after confirmation by Hamas. Trump also released a map of the Gaza Strip marked with Israel's "preliminary withdrawal line." According to the Israel Times, this line is roughly the same as the Israeli army's line of control in the Gaza Strip before the Israeli army began its large-scale offensive on Gaza City in September. At that time, the Israeli army controlled about 70% of the Gaza Strip. This means that after Israel completes its "preliminary withdrawal", it will still control large areas in the southern Gaza Strip such as Rafah City, Khan Younis City and parts of the northern region.

Israel said on Thursday it was ready to "immediately implement" the first phase of the ceasefire plan, according to Israeli media reports, the Israeli army was ordered to "stop offensive operations in Gaza City" but is still conducting "defence operations".

According to a report by the Palestinian News Agency on the 5th, the Israeli army is still bombing multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City. The Palestinian Gaza Strip Health Department issued a statement on the 5th saying that in the past 24 hours, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed 65 people and injured 153 others. The Israel Times quoted the Israeli army as reporting that about 900,000 Palestinians had left Gaza City and evacuated south.

The 46-year-old resident of the Saudi refugee camp in Gaza, Muhammad Abu Reira, told news agency Xinhua that people no longer believe the ceasefire declaration and we heard about it, but the warplanes never left the sky and the cannons fell all night.

Can Gaza usher in lasting peace?

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Israel and Hamas delegation will hold talks in Egypt on Friday to discuss on-site conditions and detailed arrangements for the exchange of personnel around the "20-point plan".

Israel's Jerusalem Post analyzed that Trump's practice of promoting the ceasefire plan in Gaza was part of his "grand strategy", including announcing that the plan had been accepted before the two sides to the conflict reached a consensus. This approach can keep the parties at the negotiating table and force them to make compromises.

Several Middle Eastern media analysts believe that although Hamas has expressed willingness to negotiate the "20-point plan", it is not unconditionally agreed to the plan. For example, in the "20-point plan" about the de-militarization of the Gaza Strip, Hamas disarmament, Hamas was not mentioned on the 3rd when it should be planned.

According to a report by Saudi Arabia's Oriental TV on the 5th, Hamas put forward conditions for the implementation of the "20-point plan" for the release of detainees. Hamas sources told the TV station that the conditions for implementing the exchange of detainees between the two sides include: a comprehensive ceasefire; The Israeli army withdrew to the position where it was stationed during the implementation of the last ceasefire agreement reached in January this year; The Israeli army grounded fighter planes and drones for 10 hours every day, and the grounding time was extended to 12 hours on the day of release.

Bao Chengzhang, an associate researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, believes that Israel and Hamas will not give in to each other on core issues. Israel insists on Hamas disarming and "de-Hamasizing" Gaza governance in the future; Hamas demands that Israel completely withdraw from Gaza and refuses to disarm; The mediating Trump administration is seriously partial to Israel and eager to reach an agreement. This makes it difficult to solve the crux of the conflict in a short time.

Li Zixin, an assistant researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said that the "20-point plan" has only been conditionally and selectively agreed by Israel and Hamas at present, and it remains to be seen how the plan will be finally implemented. At present, the parties maintain the appearance of reaching an agreement, but it is still far from achieving lasting peace in Gaza.

Palestinian political analyst Hussam Dajani believes that the "20-point plan" may open a window for a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. But the key lies in implementation, which is to ensure that the plan does not degenerate into a political commitment, but is transformed into concrete actions to end the suffering of civilians and bring hope for the people of Gaza to return to normal life.