The powers are exerting influence with Israel and Hamas, with direct mediation from Qatar and Egypt, to transform the truce, extended for another two days, into a definitive ceasefire, creating the necessary conditions for the establishment of the political solution of “ two states, one Jewish and the other Arab.
The diplomatic strategy is reinforced at a time when another 33 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Monday, just hours after the Islamist movement Hamas released 11 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attack.
On Friday, Israel and Hamas pledged to release around ten women and children hostages every day in exchange for three times as many Palestinian detainees, women and young people under the age of 19.
The agreement, extended for another two days, is in force until tomorrow, according to Hamas and Qatar’s mediation, while Israel announced that it has prepared a list of 50 new prisoners who could be released in the next two days, reported the agency France-Press (AFP). Monday’s detainee exchange was the fourth after it came into force on Friday.
International community must protect civilians
The President of the European Council said yesterday that it was necessary to work on protecting civilian lives. “The two-day extension of the pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas is a positive development,” said Charles Michel on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The head of the community Executive highlighted, in a statement, that the critical agreement between Israel and Hamas “widens the window of hope” and “allows more civilians in Gaza to have access to essential aid”.
The head of the community executive stated that the EU will continue to maintain close contacts with all international partners to work towards achieving a political solution that guarantees peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-state solution.
Humanitarian aid is insufficient
The European Union (EU) High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, stated that the humanitarian aid being sent to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is not enough to mitigate the conflict.
However, his comments sparked controversy, suggesting that there is no point in supporting those who are going to die. Borrell stated that it is necessary to reach a political agreement that allows the construction of two states: Israel and Palestine. But it was a specific statement that generated noise in several international media outlets.
“We multiplied the aid by four. But it doesn’t make much sense to give someone dinner if they are going to die the next day under bombs”, concluded the Spanish politician.