Analysis
Israel flaunts ceasefire with killings, denied aid and closed crossings
Without a definitive and permanent agreement, Al Thani stressed, the process could derail at any moment.
We are at a “critical moment” for the ceasefire in Gaza, warned Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during the Doha Forum, held on Saturday with the participation of the countries of the region that have played the leading role as mediators for the ceasefire.
Without a definitive and permanent agreement, Al Thani stressed, the process could derail at any moment. These words seem rather an understatement in the face of the hundreds of violations committed by Israel since mid-October, when the ceasefire and Phase 1 came into force. Some of these are serious enough to prevent not only Phase 2, but the resumption of even the most basic kind of life in Gaza: daily killings, the refusal to allow aid to enter in substantial and effective quantities (little food, very little water, almost no tents, no work equipment), plans for only a partial and punitive reconstruction, and the Israeli army not withdrawing.
In Doha, the Turkish Foreign Minister, the hawkish Hakan Fidan, “entrusted” the United States with the task of “intervening to launch the second phase.” But Washington is precisely where the problem lies: President Trump has been the main proponent of a plan that doesn’t recognize anything at all for the Palestinians and gives shape to yet another colonial mandate in a land seen as a mere opportunity for profit and exploitation.
Reconstruction only on the Israeli side of the “Yellow Line” is nothing more than a gift to U.S. companies, whose CEOs have been shuttling between the United States and Tel Aviv for weeks in view of launching the construction of “safe communities” that would offer bare survival – below any international standard – for a handful of Palestinians.
There is also the obstacle of setting up the International Stabilization Force, a multinational military mission for which the participating countries are currently unknown, with Turkey being the indirect protagonist of the stalemate on this issue. “Mr. Netanyahu makes no secret of it,” Fidan summarized. “He does not want to see Turkish troops down there.”
The Forum followed the joint appeal by eight Muslim-majority countries, led by Egypt, condemning Israel’s decision (unilateral, like every other) to keep the Rafah crossing closed. It has been shut down since May 2024, occupied and destroyed by the occupying forces and never put back into operation, despite being the main entry point for humanitarian trucks and the only gateway for Palestinians wishing to return. Israel’s intentions are that when it does reopen, it will be an exit-only crossing: a one-way ticket, no return.
Meanwhile, on Saturday Gaza once again saw the death toll since October 7, 2023 rise – now significantly above the official 70,000 mark (which is a lowballing estimate). Three Palestinians were killed by a drone in Beit Lahiya during a demolition operation by the Israeli army, which has never stopped destroying homes and infrastructure.
The three, as Palestinian journalist Hani Mahmoud reported, were trying – together with the rest of their family – to reach their farm. They had allegedly crossed the Yellow Line without realizing, the invisible and unilateral border dictated by Tel Aviv, made impassable by snipers firing at will. Meanwhile, bulldozers from the Israeli side have crossed the Yellow Line by half a kilometer to carry out demolitions, accompanied by artillery and drones.
Air raids also continued – at least 20 between Gaza City and Rafah – as well as open fire against fishing boats along the coast of Khan Younis. In two months of “ceasefire,” Israel has killed 367 Palestinians.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/uccisioni-aiuti-negati-valico-chiuso-la-tregua-a-gaza-e-a-rischio on 2025-12-07