Khaberni - Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said today, Thursday, that 3 obstacles are preventing the start of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel.
On October 10, the first phase of the agreement came into effect after a genocidal war waged by Israel with US support on Gaza for two years since October 2023.
According to the newspaper, these obstacles include Israel’s failure to retrieve the remains of two detainees in Gaza, the fate of Hamas fighters in Rafah (south), and the formation of the international stabilization force.
1- Retrieval of Bodies
Yedioth Ahronoth said that "Washington is pressing Israel to proceed to the second phase of the agreement, but Israel insists on first retrieving the bodies of the remaining two hostages".
Hamas claims it has handed over all 48 Israeli detainees, while Israel alleges that two detainee bodies remain with the movement.
According to the newspaper, "Israel continues to pressure Hamas to identify the location of the remains and return them, refusing to reopen the Rafah crossing or expand the scope of humanitarian aid, or discuss more withdrawals".
Israeli officials have conveyed that "once the bodies are retrieved, Israel will start discussions on various aspects of Gaza’s reconstruction".
2- Rafah Fighters
According to the newspaper, the second obstacle to starting the second phase is the fate of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels under Rafah.
It mentioned "Israel is willing to allow them safe passage to a third country, but no country has agreed to accept them".
3- The International Force
As for the third obstacle, according to the newspaper, it is "the difficulties in forming the international stabilization force" planned to be deployed in Gaza.
The newspaper said, "So far, only a few Arab and Islamic countries have agreed to contribute thousands of troops." It added "Azerbaijan initially expressed readiness to send forces, but it seems to have backed out."
According to an informed Israeli official cited by Yedioth Ahronoth, "there is no progress in assembling the stabilization force". He added "In any case, the soldiers (will need) training and preparation before deployment. This is the main issue that the Americans need to resolve."
Last Thursday, Channel 14 reported that the United States had set mid-January as the date to begin deployment of the international stabilization force in Gaza.
On November 18, the United Nations Security Council adopted an American resolution allowing the establishment of a temporary international force in Gaza until the end of 2027.
The Israeli genocidal war on Gaza left more than 69,000 Palestinian martyrs and 170,000 injured, most of them children and women, and massive destruction with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at about 70 billion dollars.
