Tanks in Rafah: Will Israeli operation scuttle or unblock truce talks?

François PICARD | Rebecca GNIGNATI | Alessandro XENOS | Hussein IBISH | Alon PINKAS | Gil MIHAELY | Chaima Gharsallaoui

Edité par France 24 - 2024

It’s been an up-and-down 24 hours for Gaza residents, who initially thought a first ceasefire since November was finally at hand, thus sparing Rafah. But perhaps it's when it all comes to a head that the real bargaining begins. 

What do Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar really want? What's in their interest at this point? And how much pressure can the outside world bring to end a nightmare that’s exactly seven months old and counting?

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Juliette Brown.

Note
  • They say it's darkest before the dawn. Let's hope that's true, because Gaza's definitely in the dark this Tuesday. Israeli tanks are cutting off the Egyptian border crossing in the southernmost city of Rafah as the coalition war cabinet rejects what Hamas brands as acceptance of a truce deal, instead reading it as an underwhelming counteroffer. Is this the start of the all-out ground offensive that US mediators, among others, fear will lead to a new level of humanitarian disaster?

Langue
anglais
Date de publication
07/05/2024
Collection
The Debate
Contributeurs
Hussein IBISH Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute
Alon PINKAS Retired Israeli diplomat
Gil MIHAELY Editor-in-Chief, Causeur
Chaima Gharsallaoui Journalist

Consulter en ligne

Suggestions

Du même auteur

Escalation to what ends? Israel further widens war beyond Gaza | François PICARD

Escalation to what ends? Israel further widen...

| François PICARD | 2024

Militarily, the Israelis have so far been wildly successful, neutralising much of the enemy's leadership and thereby cashing in on years of painstaking intelligence work. But what is the precise objective of it all?After flattenin...

Netanyahu on all fronts: Can Israel keep up war in Gaza while taking on Hezbollah? | Rebecca GNIGNATI

Netanyahu on all fronts: Can Israel keep up w...

| Rebecca GNIGNATI | 2024

In hindsight, Iran's first-ever direct missile attacks on Israel back in April seemed like a symbolic gesture, but it certainly got Binyamin Netanyahu's top brass's attention. The same top brass is at loggerheads with the prime mi...

Iran attacks Israel: Who to stop the spiral? | François PICARD

Iran attacks Israel: Who to stop the spiral?

| François PICARD | 2024

PM non grata? Israel blasts ICC bid to charge both Netanyahu and Hamas | François PICARD

PM non grata? Israel blasts ICC bid to charge...

| François PICARD | 2024

We ask about the alleged war crimes, the measure of the request and the sharp reactions. The US president has branded "outrageous" the accusations against Prime Minister Netanyahu and his defence chief Yoav Gallant, with the likes...

Too soon for a truce? Israel downplays push for ceasefire with Hezbollah | Alessandro XENOS

Too soon for a truce? Israel downplays push f...

| Alessandro XENOS | 2024

As Israeli jets continue to pound Lebanon, as top brass talk up the potential for a ground invasion, Hezbollah and its main backer Iran are more circumspect: they are still reeling from last week's exploding electronic devices and...

Uncertainty in Iran: What next after president's death in helicopter crash? | François PICARD

Uncertainty in Iran: What next after presiden...

| François PICARD | 2024

We ask about the crash and the challenges ahead for Iran.Then there are the country's 88 million citizens. Will they get involved? Since Raisi was elected in 2021, the regime has stared down the massive "women, life, freedom" prot...

Political stage? Eurovision song contest met with Israel-Gaza war protests | François PICARD

Political stage? Eurovision song contest met ...

| François PICARD | 2024

Security is tight around the venue in southern Sweden, amid calls by some to bar Israel's contestant. And while the ban on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine two years ago was for the most part consensual, this call is tearing a...

More than just Games? Torch relay launches build-up to Paris 2024 Olympics | François PICARD

More than just Games? Torch relay launches bu...

| François PICARD | 2024

What are those values? Does it resonate, for instance, when the leader of the last host nation China and the next host nation France call for an Olympic truce during the Games?What does a global spectacle like this one mean post-p...

Red carpet diplomacy: What's Macron's message for China's Xi? | François PICARD

Red carpet diplomacy: What's Macron's message...

| François PICARD

The last time that Macron hosted Xi, he invited then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel to join the talks alongside the European Commission president. This time, Ursula von der Leyen is in Paris, but not Olaf Scholz. We ask why and w...