What’s Blocking a Gaza Ceasefire Deal?

AlArabiya English

What is really preventing any sort of agreement despite the indirect talks in Doha and the US-backed proposal on the table? Professor of Conflict Resolution Dr. Ayman Youssef explains the key stumbling blocks.

Transcript

00:00There are obviously a lot of stumbling blocks here,

00:02but despite these indirect talks that we're seeing in Doha

00:05and the U.S.-backed proposal that's also on the table,

00:08what do you think is really preventing any sort of agreement?

00:12Is it the aid flow, the military withdrawal, Hamas' future role in Gaza?

00:16What do you think is the key issue here?

00:18Yes, this is, I think, a major strategic question,

00:21and I think we need a strategic debate around that.

00:24There are many, many hindrances and many stumbling blocks

00:27in the way of signing this deal.

00:29Not only the humanitarian aid distribution mechanism as Israel,

00:34and even as Hamas demanded,

00:37I think also even the question of Israeli withdrawal

00:40from major corridors and major areas controlled by Israel

00:46in the last 20, 22 months.

00:50Israel now is controlling more than 70% of geography of Gaza,

00:55and they are trying to engineer this geography

00:58as well as demography, you know, in the sense that pushing the Palestinians

01:03into very much, you know, closed zones, you know,

01:08so that in the future maybe there is a plan of forced migration

01:12or pushing them maybe to Sinai or to the sea.

01:15I think this is part of the Israeli thinking.

01:18And there is also the issue of next day, you know, next day to the ceasefire.

01:24What are the possibilities, you know, for Hamas?

01:27Is Hamas going to be part of governance or is it part to be, you know, outside Gaza?

01:32There are many, many issues, and I think many tricky issues that both parties are still negotiating.

01:39And I think the main concern at this stage, there is no trust, you know, to have a deal.

01:47You know, both groups should have a kind of confidence-building measures

01:51and a kind of good intentions and good trust.

01:55I think this issue is very much missing.

01:57So, therefore, we need a kind of a strategic deal imposed either by the U.S.

02:03or with the help of Qataris and Egyptians.

02:06If we leave matters to Hamas as well as to Israel, I think they are going to disagree.

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