Israel, according to American President Joe Biden, would be ready to enforce a ceasefire in fighting with Hamas during Ramadan if an agreement is reached on the release of the hostages. However, the words from the White House sound more like hope than certainty. In fact, the reaction from the Middle East was rather cool. According to Israeli sources, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was “astonished” by Biden's comments, while Hamas said it had received “no formal proposal” for a ceasefire and spoke of “premature” optimism on Biden's part. Qatar, which is brokering the deal, also said it was “too early” to make any announcements on the matter. A senior Egyptian official said the draft deal between Israel and Hamas calls for the release of up to 40 women and elderly hostages in exchange for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women, minors and the elderly.
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Ramadan is just around the corner and is awaited with fear. Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant said Hamas wanted to “take advantage” of the Muslim holy month to turn it into the “second phase of October 7” with a focus on Jerusalem. The Jewish state also accused Iran and Hezbollah of wanting to increase tensions. Clashes continued on the border with Lebanon, but Shiite militias made it clear that they were ready to cease fire if Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire “like last time” provided the Jewish state abided by the ceasefire do not continue the bombing of Lebanon.
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Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza, where the death toll is now nearly 30,000, is becoming increasingly difficult. According to Michael Fakhri, United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, Israel is voluntarily starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. “There is no reason to intentionally block the passage of humanitarian aid or deliberately destroy small fishing boats, greenhouses and orchards in Gaza, other than to deny people access to food,” he said. It also remains hot on the Red Sea coast, where the US has destroyed missiles and drones belonging to the Houthi rebels. According to Israeli sources, the Iran-aligned Shiite militia has also disabled four cables of the submarine communication network in the sea between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in recent months, causing problems with communication lines and the Internet in some Gulf states and in India. A report that the Houthis denied, branding it a “mass media propaganda report with ties to the Zionist enemy.”