‘The goal is to destroy Gaza’: Why Israel rejects a ceasefire with Hamas
Al Jazeera
Israel has rejected a ceasefire and launched an operation in Rafah, raising fears that the war in Gaza could drag on.
Israel appears to have been blindsided by Hamas’s announcement on Monday that it had agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal. But the Israeli government quickly made its position clear – the proposal wasn’t something it would agree to, and, to make matters more explicit, its military forces took control of the Palestinian side of Egypt’s border with Gaza in Rafah.
For many analysts, the Israeli government’s message is clear: there will be no permanent ceasefire, and the devastating war on Gaza will continue.
“Israel wants to reserve the right to continue operations in Gaza,” said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine for the International Crisis Group (ICG).
She added that a deal seems impossible as long as Israel refuses to end the war, for good.
“If you enter a ceasefire deal, then you will [eventually] need a ceasefire,” she told Al Jazeera.
