TEHRAN – The start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is a clear sign that the regime’s war ambitions in Gaza have disappeared.
A ceasefire came into effect on Sunday following 470 days of relentless Israeli attacks on the besieged Palestinian territory.
The measure was implemented after a delay of almost three hours, during which Israeli forces killed nearly 20 Palestinians and wounded dozens more.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously accused Hamas of not fulfilling its promise to provide the names of three prisoners who were to be released in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
Late Sunday, Hamas released three prisoners as 90 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons.
The ceasefire will be implemented in three stages. The initial six-week phase will include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
The deal should ultimately lead to the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of prisoners in return for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinians from regime prisons. The agreement is also expected to result in a surge in humanitarian aid to the enclave.
Since launching a genocidal war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas and secure the release of prisoners. But the Israeli army was unable to do so in a war that lasted more than 15 months and claimed the lives of more than 46,900 Palestinians, including up to 18,000 children. More than 110,000 Palestinians were also injured during the war.
The death toll is believed to be higher than figures released by the Gaza Ministry of Health. Thousands of missing Palestinians are trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings and buried in unmarked graves.
Israel has committed a series of massacres in the Gaza Strip. In addition to destroying civilian infrastructure, they also bombed and attacked hospitals where patients and refugees were taking shelter.
The regime is also accused of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, particularly to the northern part of the enclave, leaving Palestinians to starve to death.
Israel’s genocidal war began shortly after Hamas carried out a surprise military operation called “Al-Aqsa Storm” in southern Israel. More than 1,100 people were killed and approximately 250 were taken prisoner during the operation. If Israel complies with the terms of the ceasefire, all remaining prisoners held in Gaza will be released.
After its dream of overthrowing Hamas turned into a nightmare, Israel agreed to a ceasefire and threw in the towel.
On Friday, an Israeli think tank admitted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies shot themselves in the foot by prolonging the war. The Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) said: “The meaning of the agreement (ceasefire) is clear: Israel will not bring about the ‘collapse’ of Hamas, because it never could.”
The report said Prime Minister Netanyahu prolonged the Gaza war out of “personal survival and short-sighted thinking,” which led to “more Israeli soldiers and prisoners of war losing their lives.”
More than 800 Israeli troops have been killed since the Al-Aqsa storm broke out. This includes 400 soldiers who have died since the Israeli army began its ground invasion of Gaza in late October 2023.
INSS also acknowledged that Israel’s crimes in Gaza deepened the regime’s international isolation.
In addition to a significant decline in its international standing, Israel’s failure to achieve its war objectives has deepened internal rifts.
Protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failed military strategy in Gaza have become regular occurrences in Israeli cities since the onslaught began.
The failure of the military operation also led to high-profile resignations of Israeli military and security officials.
Prime Minister Netanyahu accepted the ceasefire because the people of Gaza have always stood together and had no other choice.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu’s hard-line allies gnashed their teeth over his decision to acquiesce to the ceasefire agreement.
On Sunday, with the ceasefire taking effect, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir resigned from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition cabinet along with other members of his party.
The Otzma Yehudit party had already threatened to dissolve the coalition if Israel agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The party said the ceasefire agreement amounted to a “surrender” to Hamas and meant a “complete victory” for it.
Minister of Culture and Heritage Amichai Eliyahu was among those who submitted his resignation.
Prime Minister Eliyahu said in November 2023 that one of Israel’s options in a war against Hamas could be to drop nuclear bombs on the Gaza Strip.
Neither the threat of nuking Gaza nor the execution of brutal attacks could bring the Palestinians to their knees.
Israel’s military failures in the Gaza war are currently an issue that pits regime officials against each other.