Trump's Envoys in the Middle East: Plenty of Talk but Silence on Gaza's Future.
These times present a quite unique situation: the pioneering US march of the caretakers. They vary in their qualifications and characteristics, but they all have the identical mission – to prevent an Israeli breach, or even devastation, of the unstable ceasefire. After the hostilities ended, there have been few occasions without at least one of the former president's delegates on the ground. Just this past week included the likes of a senior advisor, Steve Witkoff, JD Vance and a political figure – all coming to perform their assignments.
Israel occupies their time. In only a few days it executed a set of attacks in the region after the killings of a pair of Israeli military soldiers – leading, as reported, in dozens of Palestinian fatalities. A number of officials urged a resumption of the conflict, and the Israeli parliament enacted a preliminary resolution to take over the West Bank. The US response was somehow between “no” and “hell no.”
Yet in various respects, the Trump administration seems more concentrated on preserving the present, unstable stage of the ceasefire than on advancing to the next: the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Regarding that, it looks the US may have ambitions but no specific plans.
For now, it is uncertain at what point the proposed international oversight committee will truly assume control, and the identical is true for the proposed military contingent – or even the composition of its members. On Tuesday, a US official said the United States would not impose the structure of the foreign contingent on the Israeli government. But if the prime minister's government persists to reject multiple options – as it acted with the Ankara's offer lately – what follows? There is also the opposite question: who will establish whether the forces favoured by Israel are even willing in the mission?
The issue of the duration it will take to neutralize Hamas is similarly ambiguous. “Our hope in the government is that the international security force is going to at this point take the lead in demilitarizing the organization,” said the official lately. “That’s may need some time.” Trump further emphasized the ambiguity, declaring in an interview a few days ago that there is no “hard” schedule for the group to disarm. So, hypothetically, the unidentified elements of this still unformed global contingent could arrive in Gaza while Hamas members still hold power. Would they be confronting a governing body or a militant faction? Among the many of the concerns arising. Some might ask what the outcome will be for ordinary civilians under current conditions, with Hamas carrying on to focus on its own adversaries and dissidents.
Latest events have once again emphasized the omissions of Israeli media coverage on both sides of the Gazan border. Every source strives to scrutinize each potential angle of Hamas’s infractions of the peace. And, typically, the situation that the organization has been delaying the return of the bodies of slain Israeli captives has taken over the news.
By contrast, coverage of civilian deaths in Gaza resulting from Israeli operations has garnered scant attention – if any. Take the Israeli response actions following Sunday’s Rafah incident, in which two troops were lost. While Gaza’s sources stated dozens of casualties, Israeli news commentators complained about the “limited reaction,” which targeted solely facilities.
This is nothing new. Over the past few days, the press agency accused Israeli forces of violating the ceasefire with Hamas multiple occasions since the ceasefire came into effect, killing 38 Palestinians and injuring another many more. The allegation appeared unimportant to most Israeli reporting – it was just missing. Even reports that 11 members of a Palestinian household were lost their lives by Israeli troops last Friday.
Gaza’s emergency services said the family had been trying to return to their residence in the Zeitoun district of the city when the vehicle they were in was attacked for reportedly going over the “yellow line” that demarcates territories under Israeli military command. This boundary is not visible to the human eye and appears solely on maps and in official records – not always accessible to everyday residents in the region.
Even that event scarcely got a mention in Israeli news outlets. A major outlet mentioned it briefly on its website, referencing an IDF official who stated that after a suspect car was detected, soldiers shot cautionary rounds towards it, “but the transport continued to move toward the forces in a manner that caused an immediate risk to them. The forces engaged to eliminate the risk, in compliance with the agreement.” No fatalities were reported.
With such narrative, it is no surprise a lot of Israeli citizens feel the group solely is to at fault for infringing the peace. This view risks prompting demands for a more aggressive approach in Gaza.
At some point – maybe sooner rather than later – it will not be adequate for US envoys to take on the role of kindergarten teachers, advising the Israeli government what to avoid. They will {have to|need