Permanent state of war with Israel: According to a newspaper report, this was the goal of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th. US Secretary of State Blinken continues to look for a path to peace.
With its terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, Hamas pursued the plan to trigger a permanent state of war with Israel. This is what representatives of the Islamist organization told the New York Times, as the paper reported. Hamas is concerned with revitalizing the Palestinian cause through violence, the newspaper wrote, citing conversations with several senior Hamas members.
A Hamas representative told the German Press Agency that the attack had successfully thwarted normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. However, a Saudi minister sowed doubts that this calculation would work.
The USA once again made it clear that for peace there should be neither an expulsion of the Palestinians nor a renewed occupation of the Gaza Strip. An adviser to the head of government made it clear that statements made by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were not aimed at re-occupying Gaza.
Hamas sees large numbers of Palestinian victims as a necessary price
It was necessary to “change the entire equation and not just have a clash,” said Chalil al-Haja of the Hamas leadership in Doha, according to the New York Times report. “We managed to put the Palestinian issue back on the table and now there is no peace for anyone in the region.”
In the eyes of Hamas, the many victims on the Palestinian side as a result of Israel’s military reaction are the necessary price to pay for this, the newspaper writes. “I hope that the state of war with Israel will be permanent on all borders and that the Arab world will be on our side,” the paper quoted another Hamas representative as saying.
Hamas sees rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia thwarted
According to a senior member, Hamas prevented a rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia with its terrorist attack in Israel. Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told the German Press Agency in Beirut.
Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih appeared to contradict this. The issue of normalizing relations with Israel is “not off the table,” said Al-Falih at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.
Blinken names key elements for peace solution for Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined the elements for peace in the Gaza conflict. There should be neither an expulsion of the Palestinians nor a renewed occupation of the Gaza Strip, emphasized Blinken in Tokyo at the conclusion of the G7 meeting of foreign ministers.
The prerequisites for “lasting peace and security” must include “that the Palestinians are not forcibly expelled from the Gaza Strip (…),” said Blinken. “No reoccupation of the Gaza Strip after the end of the conflict, no attempt to blockade or siege the Gaza Strip, no reduction of the area of Gaza.” The Gaza Strip must not be used “as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks.”
Netanyahu adviser: No occupation of the Gaza Strip
Israel does not plan to continue its occupation after the Gaza war ends, according to a senior adviser to Prime Minister Netanyahu. But there must be a security presence so that the military can go in for operations depending on the threat situation, said Mark Regev on the US broadcaster CNN, clarifying Netanyahu’s statement about Israel’s future role in the Gaza Strip the day before. “We have to distinguish between security presence and political control.”
Baerbock: No peace solution over the heads of the Palestinians
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also named key elements for future peace. “We need smart solutions on how and by whom Gaza can be managed in the future. And we need practical steps towards a two-state solution, even if it may be a long way off,” said the Green politician in Tokyo. At the same time, she warned that “there must be no solution over the heads of the Palestinians.”
Hamas authority: Death toll in Gaza rises to over 10,500
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began rose to 10,569, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. The authority said more than 26,000 people were injured. There are 4,324 children and young people among the dead. The numbers and information cannot currently be independently verified.
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south
Thousands of Palestinian civilians fled south from the fiercely contested north of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Palestinian eyewitnesses confirmed official reports from Israel. The army said more than 900,000 people had left the north since the war began a month ago. The UN emergency relief office OCHA speaks of around 1.5 million internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip. The coastal strip has just over 2.2 million inhabitants.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
