Israel-Hamas, “prolonged truce”. Is the turning point of the war coming?

Israel is considering an extended ceasefire, “perhaps lasting two weeks,” to allow Hamas to arrest the hostages and transport them to safety before handing them over. According to the Washington Post, Tel Aviv could also commit to withdrawing its troops after this ceasefire and conducting more targeted operations, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip.

According to the American newspaper, the Biden administration wants Israel to quickly move to a less intense battle phase, “ideally” within the next 11 days, “to avoid further civilian casualties”. There is also already a detailed document, with around twenty pages and prepared by the State Department, which describes the post-war options and phases, a phase that should be better managed by the Palestinians: «US and Israeli Officials Expect Palestinians assume new governance and security roles, with the support of moderate Arab governments that hate Hamas almost as much as Israel, even if they don’t say it out loud.”

Killing Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, the two leaders of Hamas in Gaza, remains “one of Israel’s main war aims. But this task is complicated by the likelihood that the two leaders have surrounded themselves with some of the remaining Israeli hostages. Which presents the same dilemma, pulverizing Hamas and saving the lives of the hostages, that has complicated Israeli military planning until now. The document, however, states that post-war security in Gaza could be managed by “Palestinians who are not affiliated with Hamas and are willing to cooperate with Israeli troops still surrounding the border.” Ideally, this police force should be reinforced by foreign troops, operating under a United Nations mandate.” The crucial moment in the conflict in the Middle East therefore seems to have arrived and everyone hopes for a positive turn.