Netanyahu meets with Trump on Monday to make progress on the Gaza ceasefire
Hamas denounces that Tel Aviv has violated the conditions agreed upon in the first phase of the cessation of hostilities
BarcelonaIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has traveled to the United States to meet with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday. This will be the fifth time the two leaders have met in the United States since the Republican's return to the White House. They are expected to discuss the start of the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the threat posed by Iran and Hezbollah to Israel.
"This is an emergency summit," Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), told the US newspaper. Washington PostAccording to the expert, tensions exist between the two leaders because Israel wants to carry out a new attack against Iran's ballistic missile program, but Trump does not approve. This is also because the US president disapproves of the attacks Tel Aviv has launched in Syria and Lebanon, as they go against US interests. Regarding the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, it could begin in mid-January. It envisions the disarmament of Hamas, the establishment of an international stabilization force in the Strip, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, and the formation of a transitional government. The first phase was launched on October 10 with US mediation and resulted in Israel ceasing its massive bombing of Gaza. However, Israeli attacks continue, as do restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and foreign journalists into the Strip. Attacks continue
In fact, the Hamas-controlled Gaza government accused Israel on Sunday of having "seriously and systematically" violated the ceasefire agreement since it came into effect, citing 298 incidents of direct fire against civilians, 54 incursions by Israeli military vehicles into residential areas, 455 unarmed bombs, and 162 airstrikes. As a result, 418 Palestinians have been killed and 1,141 wounded during this period, according to the same source.
Furthermore, Gaza authorities also accuse Israel of subjecting the population of the Strip to a "slow death" because it has only allowed 41% of the humanitarian aid agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement to enter the enclave. Specifically, 19,764 aid trucks have entered in the last eighty days, instead of the 48,000 that were expected. This means that around 250 trucks enter Gaza each day, not the 600 needed to meet the population's needs.
Living conditions for Gazans remain dire. On Saturday night, heavy rains and strong winds destroyed and flooded hundreds of tents where displaced people are living in precarious conditions. During the severe storm, a 30-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy died after a wall collapsed onto their tent in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
Amjad Shawa, director of Network, one of the Palestinian NGOs operating in the Strip, warned that tents offer no shelter in such adverse weather conditions and called on Israel to allow caravans, mobile homes, and equipment into the enclave.