Rafah invasion won't bring back captives, time for ceasefire: Haaretz
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Haaretz says that the Rafah invasion only endangers the possibility of returning captives, and called on the occupation government to agree on a deal with Hamas.
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Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli invasion of Rafah would not contribute to retrieving Israeli captives, but jeopardize its possibility instead, Israeli newspaper Haaretz stated on Wednesday.
Haaretz stressed that the only way for "Israel" to bring back captives would be by signing the agreement with Hamas, regardless of the price and toll it would take on the occupation.
Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the newspaper, would rather threaten to occupy Rafah instead of considering the demands of the captives' families or agreeing on a ceasefire deal with Hamas that includes a prisoner exchange agreement.
It was also noted that no one [in "Israel"] was shocked when Netanyahu's office announced the start of the invasion of Rafah to militarily pressure Hamas into releasing the captives and achieve the war's objectives.
At the same time, it stated how unfortunate it was that Benny Gantz kept repeating the same lie claiming that the military offensive against Rafah was part parcel of the Israeli efforts to retrieve captives and instill security in the South.
Haaretz affirmed that the people paying the price for this policy were the captives, who were killed by Israeli fire and aggression, or those surviving but remained in danger.
The newspaper further mentioned that the occupation claimed it would limit the aggression in Rafah, as announced to the United States and Egypt, but simultaneously warned of the consequences of the invasion, saying it would jeopardize ties with Egypt and Jordan, and obstruct the normalization process with Saudi Arabia.
It also highlighted that the repercussions of the Rafah invasion have already materialized after the US delayed multiple bomb shipments to "Israel", describing it as "unusual".
Hamas agrees to mediators' proposed deal with 'Israel'
The US reportedly sees the possibility of "bridging the gap between Israel and Hamas", to which Haaretz stated that this could be immediately effectuated as Hamas and Israeli delegations are both currently in Cairo for mediated negotiations.
Haaretz stressed that now is the perfect time to boot Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalzel Smotrich, alongside several other extreme right officials within the occupation government, and "make the right decision, which is agreeing on a ceasefire deal.
Yesterday, Hamas informed mediators that it has agreed to a proposed prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal with the Israeli occupation, the movement's Media Office announced on Monday.
This was confirmed by a senior Palestinian Resistance official who told Al Mayadeen, "The mediators and Hamas reached a new, tight formula that would lead to a ceasefire, thus overcoming this dilemma."
"Hamas was extremely flexible in reaching an agreement, and the ball is now in Israel’s court," the source explained.
In its statement, the Resistance faction announced that the head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, held a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and the Director of Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel informing that the movement has agreed to "their proposal for a ceasefire."
"Israel" is yet to agree to the latest proposal.
Read more: Netanyahu calls Hamas permanent ceasefire demands 'unacceptable'
