The ceasefire agreement in Gaza is on the front line because of the issue of transfer of remains and the issue of opening the border. The two sides are accusing each other, making the situation continue to become tense.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently issued a statement condemning Israel's decision to continue closing the Rafah crossing, saying it violated the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office responded by saying that the opening of Rafah Border Crossing will depend on Hamas fulfilling an obligation to return the remains of detainees.
Implementation of ceasefire agreement is in trouble
Under the first phase of the reconciliation agreement, Israel was supposed to reopen the port of Rafah in the south of Gaza on October 15, but Israel decided to continue closing the crucial passage because of the Hamas failure to deliver the bodies of all the detainees in time.
The Rafah Strait is a major gateway for international humanitarian aid to Gaza, and its continued closure would seriously hinder the transportation of rescue supplies to Gaza.
Hamas has also warned that this would directly lead to delays in the search and delivery of the corpses.
The two sides have been deadlocked on this issue, which has also brought the implementation of the agreement to a standstill.
A vicious cycle of blaming each other.
In the statement, Hamas claimed that since the agreement came into effect, Israel has violated the agreement 47 times, resulting in 38 deaths.
According to a report by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, these casualties were mainly caused in the conflict in the southeastern part of Gaza.
Now the two sides are committed to each other's words, accusing each other of breaking the agreement, making the prospect of a ceasefire darkened.
Israel insists that the opening of ports is directly linked to the transfer of remains, which also shows Israel's tough attitude.
The realistic dilemma of humanitarian crisis
The issue of hostages and the return of the bodies has become a major obstacle to the negotiations now, Hamas explained: the work is directly hampered by the need for heavy machinery to search for the remains buried in the ruins, and the closure of the Rafah port would lead to the equipment’s access.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz recently made it clear that Israel's security strategy includes the repatriation of all kidnapped people and the disarmament of Hamas.
This position has received wide support in Israel, which shows a firm position on the issue of personnel return.
Limitations of international mediation
Mediation efforts by major regional powers are still continuing, but with very limited results. Mediation parties such as Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are still actively triumphant, but there are some differences in their respective positions.
Egypt claims that the Palestinian authority should play a role in Gaza in the post-Hamas era, a view clearly diverging from Israel’s.
Mediation by the international community also seems to be difficult to make up for the profound differences between the two sides on the core issue of peace.
Clear differences in strategic objectives
The outline of Israel’s security strategy is now becoming increasingly clear, and the policies Mr. Katz outlined include the de-militarization of Gaza by destroying terrorist sites, and the implementation of strict regulations at the border ports to prevent those weapons from being smuggled.
What is even more noteworthy is that Israel's Defense Forces plan to deploy along the Yellow Line, which covers more than 50% of Gaza's territory, and have also implemented strict measures to prohibit people from approaching.
This strategy also demonstrates Israel’s intention to maintain a long-term control of Gaza, in line with the five principles of ending the war approved by Israel.
Behind the closed gate of the Rafah crossing is a humanitarian aid need for millions of people in Gaza. Peace has been wavering in the deadlock between the handover of remains and the opening of the crossing. Now the two sides distrust each other, which also makes it difficult to make a breakthrough.
How will this crisis end? Can the international community give effective help to promote both parties to fulfill their obligations? Welcome to share your opinions in the comment area.
[Reference sources for this article: Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli Prime Minister's Office Statement, Reuters Middle East Situation Report]