Hamas's "food restriction strategy" does not hinder Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans for a potential operation to capture the city of Gaza, located in the northern part of the besieged Gaza Strip. This move comes amidst a complex web of international diplomatic efforts and humanitarian concerns.

Recently, several countries including Canada, Malta, France, the UK, Portugal, and Australia have announced their intentions to formally recognise the State of Palestine at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. This recognition is aimed at supporting a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, encompassing the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. However, Israel has set conditions for this recognition, demanding that the militant group Hamas withdraws politically and reforms take place in the Palestinian Authority, including general elections excluding Hamas.

The current ceasefire proposal entails a 60-day ceasefire during which ten living hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. However, this proposal has faced challenges, with indirect negotiations over a new ceasefire having been unsuccessful and recently suspended.

Israel has claimed that the assessment of the International Peace Corps (IPC) initiative is based on false information from Hamas. Netanyahu has reportedly only agreed to an agreement if all hostages are released at once and the war ends on Israel's terms.

The situation in Gaza is dire. More than half a million people are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by hunger, poverty, and death, according to the IPC initiative report. The lives of 132,000 children under five in the Gaza district are threatened by malnutrition, with 41,000 considered severely acute cases. Mariam al-Sheikh, a 34-year-old mother from Gaza City, struggles to find food for her children on a daily basis.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the famine as intentional. Netanyahu, on the other hand, emphasised that Israel is not pursuing a policy of starvation but of hunger prevention, and that only Israeli hostages are intentionally starved in Gaza.

Israel's conditions for the end of the war include the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all hostages, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israel's control over the coastal region, and a civil administration not exercised by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has announced plans for intense attacks on Gaza City, stating that "the gates of hell will soon open over the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza" unless they agree to Israel's conditions for the end of the war.

Mediators, including the US, Qatar, and Egypt, are working to resume contacts in an attempt to resolve the ongoing conflict. Netanyahu has offered new negotiations over the release of hostages and an end to the war on terms "acceptable to Israel." However, the stalemate continues, with both sides seemingly far from reaching a resolution.