No respite for Gaza - World - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

2 days ago

Despite growing speculation over an imminent ceasefire backed by Trump, Israel pressed ahead with a new wave of military escalation in the Gaza Strip
As of Sunday Israel began issuing new evacuation orders and intensifying airstrikes. Thousands of Palestinians fled eastern Gaza City after the Israeli Army warned of a broad and imminent offensive in the area. Warnings posted on social media announced that military operations would escalate and advance westward into Gaza City's centre.
Residents in several densely populated neighbourhoods were instructed to evacuate to Al-Mawasi, a congested coastal suburb in southern Gaza overwhelmed by overcrowding and a severe lack of basic services.
Intensive airstrikes and gunfire hit homes, schools, markets, and tents sheltering displaced people. At least 28 Palestinians were killed and 223 injured on Monday, including 10 in Zeitoun neighbourhood east of Gaza City, with hundreds believed to be trapped under the rubble, health authorities reported.
As the bombardment intensifies, Gaza's humanitarian crisis deepens. In the besieged enclave, childhood is no longer marked by milestones but by the daily fight for survival. Even searching for food can prove fatal. According to Palestinian medical sources, more than 66 children have died of malnutrition and starvation. Only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially functional, and none are operational in northern Gaza or Rafah, in the far south.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an average of 112 children are admitted to hospitals in Gaza on a daily basis for treatment of moderate to severe malnutrition. The alarming surge, the agency said, is directly linked to the prolonged Israeli blockade and the breakdown of humanitarian access since the beginning of 2025.
As scenes of mass civilian casualties continue to come out of Gaza, diplomatic momentum is once again building in Cairo, where renewed efforts are underway to broker a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
US President Donald Trump called on both Hamas and Israel to 'make the deal in Gaza' and demanded the immediate return of the hostages, in a post published on Truth Social early Sunday. However, Palestinians remain deeply skeptical about the feasibility of such an agreement ending the 20-month-long war that has left 75 per cent of Gaza in ruins.
President Trump's remarks come amid renewed engagement by both Egyptian and Qatari officials working to revive a multi-phase deal that would include a ceasefire, a hostage exchange, and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The revived framework, backed by Washington, is being reintroduced as regional and international mediators race against time to achieve a compromise that would please both Israel and Hamas.
Building on those diplomatic efforts, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has put forward a new ceasefire proposal, calling for a 60-day truce tied to the release of Israeli hostages and the expedited flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
He described the initiative, in televised comments, as a vital entry point to a broader and more permanent resolution to the conflict. Abdelatty emphasised the importance of solid international guarantees, particularly with US support, to ensure the ceasefire is respected and prevent renewed violence. 'We are working towards a durable solution and a permanent ceasefire,' he said.
Abdelatty also reaffirmed Egypt's rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians and called for an immediate end to the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza. Cairo, he added, remains prepared to host further international discussions aimed at rebuilding Gaza and shaping its post-war future.
Meanwhile, US Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Cairo in the next few days for what sources described as a crucial round of negotiations. The planned visit announced last week is part of ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and finalise a long-stalled agreement for the release of the hostages held in Gaza.
In a coordinated regional drive, Doha has intensified its engagement with key mediators ahead of the upcoming negotiations. Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said Qatar is actively working with both Egypt and the United States, urging all parties to build on the current diplomatic momentum.
According to Israeli sources, the latest US-backed proposal, presented to Israel by Witkoff, calls for the immediate launch of a 60-day ceasefire. During the first week of the truce, Hamas would release 10 living Israeli hostages and the remains of 18 others in two separate phases. Israeli officials estimate that, of the 58 hostages still believed to be in Gaza, about 20 are alive, while the remaining 38 are presumed dead.
During the two-month truce, mediators would work to secure a broader agreement to bring the war to a complete end. Should the parties agree on a framework to end hostilities, the deal would pave the way for the release of all remaining hostages, both alive and dead.
According to details shared by Israeli sources, the proposal outlines a phased redeployment of Israeli forces in parallel with the hostage releases. On the first day of the ceasefire, following the handover of the initial group of hostages, the Israeli military would begin repositioning in northern Gaza and along the Netzarim Corridor, in line with pre-agreed humanitarian access routes.
A second redeployment would take place around day 7, after the next group of hostages is released, this time focusing on southern Gaza. Final troop positions, the sources said, are expected to be determined during the course of the negotiations, with technical teams from all sides coordinating the mapping and movement plans.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that his government has agreed to the general outline of the latest ceasefire and hostage-release framework put forward by Witkoff. His statement marks a rare public alignment with the ongoing mediation efforts as diplomatic momentum appears to be building ahead of Witkoff's visit to Cairo.
For its part, Hamas has shown cautious openness to Witkoff's revised ceasefire proposal but stopped short of accepting it. In a statement on its official website, the group said it remains open to dialogue with mediators over any plan that guarantees a lasting ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal under international supervision, the unimpeded delivery of aid, reconstruction, and a meaningful prisoner swap.
In a related statement, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on Sunday that ceasefire negotiations remain stalled due to Israel's insistence on continuing the war. He stressed that a ceasefire and withdrawal are non-negotiable conditions, and warned that Hamas would reject any proposal that undermines the resistance or includes calls for its disarmament.
Palestinian-American mediator Bishara Bahbah has emerged as a key player in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations taking place in Cairo. According to reports dated 26-28 June, Bahbah has been in close contact with Hamas representatives as well as Witkoff, helping to bridge the gaps between parties. Sources say two of the three major sticking points have now been resolved, with Bahbah emphasising that negotiators are focused on finalising the language of the deal, which would include a phased hostage release, a sustained ceasefire, and a US-guaranteed mechanism for humanitarian access.
Palestinian political analyst Akram Atallah told Al-Ahram Weekly that Hamas is facing a tough dilemma: the movement could have accepted the current ceasefire proposal several months ago, potentially to spare Palestinians further destruction, famine and a mounting daily death toll: 'We see signs of hesitation and confusion within Hamas, but the pressure on the movement is immense. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, and Hamas almost has no other option left. People need peace, food, and medicine.'
Asked whether the current diplomatic push could prove fruitful, Atallah said that all parties involved have a strong interest in ending the fighting. Hamas, he noted, is under immense pressure – people are hungry, sick, and exhausted – while Israel has so far failed to achieve its key objectives, particularly the recovery of hostages held by Hamas, through military force. 'Everyone seems hopeful,' he said, 'but it ultimately depends on what Israel really wants.'
Over the course of 20 months, at least 56,531 Palestinians have been killed and 133,642 injured by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip as of 7 October, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 3 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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