image source, Reuters
Palestinians transport someone who was injured while trying to obtain humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip
- Author, Omaima Al-Shazly
- Role, BBC News Arabic – Cairo
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Al-Rashid Street incident that occurred on Thursday, February 29, which was called the “Flour Massacre” or “Lives Massacre,” resulted in more than 112 deaths and 760 injuries, in an incident that prompted European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell He expressed his feeling of “horror” at “another massacre among civilians in Gaza who are in dire need of humanitarian aid.”
This incident comes at a very sensitive time, as several parties are seeking to reach a ceasefire agreement and put an end to the bloody war that has been ongoing for about five months.
Majed Al-Zeer, CEO of the European-Palestinian Council for Political Relations in Brussels, believes that the “flour massacre” will be a “strong point” in favor of the Palestinian side, especially after the “massive and angry” global reaction.
He added to the BBC that “pressure” from the United States and European leaders condemning “these massacres” will have an impact in favor of the Palestinians and will “weaken” the position of the Israeli side in the negotiations, as he put it.
Negotiations resume in Cairo
A leadership source in the Hamas movement confirmed to the BBC that a delegation from the movement, led by Khalil al-Hayya, its deputy head, has arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to resume truce negotiations in the Gaza Strip.
The semi-official Egyptian Cairo News Channel also reported today that representatives of both Qatar and the United States have arrived in Cairo and will participate in this round of discussions that come after a round of negotiations held in Doha the past few days, without its results being announced.
Reuters news agency had quoted Egyptian sources as saying that the duration of the truce in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees had been agreed upon, explaining that completing the prisoner and detainee exchange deal still requires agreement on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from northern Gaza and the return of its residents.
There have been no confirmations yet from the Israeli side that its delegation will head to Cairo.
The American website “Axios” quoted Israeli officials on Friday as saying that Israel had informed the mediators in Egypt and Qatar that it would not participate in another round of talks on the deal to release the abductees, until Hamas provided a list of the abductees who were still alive.
The Egyptian, Qatari and American mediation parties are seeking to reach a new deal before the month of Ramadan, which begins next week.
Washington believes that the incident complicates negotiations
While the White House says that the killing of more than 100 Palestinians in this incident in Gaza will advance the talks, US President Joe Biden believes that the incident “may complicate negotiations.”
The United States voted against a Security Council resolution holding Israel responsible for the incident.
For his part, Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq confirmed that the Palestinian movement assured the American administration and the mediators that the negotiations “are not an open process.”
Al-Rishq added in a statement posted on Telegram that Hamas will not allow its path, through which it seeks to end the suffering of the Palestinians, to be “a cover for the enemy’s continued crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that the incident, which occurred on Thursday, “Washington could benefit from it to intensify pressure on Israel to restrict its military activity and agree to a quick settlement.”
However, the “most pessimistic” scenario, according to Amos Harel, a military analyst for the Israeli newspaper, is that Israel “may face a comprehensive and more insistent international demand for a ceasefire without reaching a solution, even partial, for its hostages.”
The ceiling of Hamas’ expectations
image source, Getty Images
A Palestinian manages to get a bag of flour from an aid truck that arrived on Al-Rashid Street, west of Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, on February 28, 2024.
Political analyst Makram Khoury believes that ceasefire negotiations will be more difficult. Because Hamas “will raise the ceiling of its demands to avoid a repeat of what happened.”
He added to the BBC that the most important items of the negotiations revolve around three points, the first of which is; Humanitarian aid “is in large numbers to suffice the Gaza Strip, which is slowly dying and starving,” adding that this is “a matter of life and death.”
The second point is the Israeli military withdrawal to the furthest point close to the “border” at the Erez crossing, and the return of international financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
As for the third point, the Palestinian factions meeting in Moscow, on Friday, agreed on the necessity of “forcing” the Israeli army to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and preventing attempts to establish its occupation or control over any part of the Gaza Strip under the pretext of buffer zones, according to the statement.
Dr. Khoury explained that Hamas will tighten and increase its demands due to the “lack of trust” towards the Israeli army, and “the issue of firing will be crucial and cannot be advanced without it.”
Waiting hope
image source, Getty Images
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (right), Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (center), and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey that his country hopes that the talks on Gaza will succeed in reaching an agreement to stop hostilities in the Strip before the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
Shukri said: “We hope that we can reach a cessation of hostilities and an exchange of hostages. Everyone realizes that we have a limited period for success before the beginning of the month of Ramadan,” according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Senior Israeli officials said that after three days of talks in Qatar, the Israeli delegation returned to Israel without answers, and Israeli Channel 12 revealed that an Israeli delegation visited Cairo last week to discuss the details of a possible hostage deal with Egyptian officials.
According to the report, the Israeli delegation presented Egypt with a list of the names of Palestinian “security detainees” whom Israel does not want to release if an agreement is reached with Hamas.
Political analyst Makram Khoury said, “The refusal to release some leaders confirms that Israel fears falling under pressure from the Palestinian street and the international community to establish a Palestinian state.”
The importance of timing
Majed Al-Zeer, CEO of the European-Palestinian Council for Political Relations in Brussels, stressed the importance of the Cairo discussions in terms of “timing, atmosphere and environment.”
He explained to the BBC that he believes that “Egypt can play an important role because the Rafah crossing, and Egypt has its weight,” adding that Egypt’s early rejection of displacement “changed the international course” after October 7.
Al-Zeer stressed that the regional pressure role could affect the cessation of “aggression and crimes,” especially since he believes that “the whole world is now clearly prepared for what could be an immediate cessation of aggression.”
He said, “The shift in the European and American position towards curbing or putting pressure on decision-makers in Israel will have an impact in this area, in addition to the Israeli internal equation.”
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