Waiting for a breakthrough to save the Gaza ceasefire

War escalates

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced yesterday that two rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel. The IDF said it intercepted one and the other fell in Lebanese territory. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if peace on Israel's northern borders was not guaranteed, there would be no peace in the Lebanese capital Beirut. "We will ensure the security of our people and act firmly against threats," Katz said. Following the warning, The Guardian reported yesterday that Israel had carried out its first airstrikes on Beirut since the November 2024 ceasefire.

Smoke rises from an explosion after Israel bombed Lebanon for the first time since the ceasefire

Hezbollah denied any involvement in the rocket attack, saying that the information provided by Israel was only an excuse to continue military operations in Lebanon. Following the attack, Lebanese media reported that Israel had launched raids on the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. Previously, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon on March 27 killed 6 people.

Israeli army tanks at an undisclosed location on March 23.

With Israel's activities in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported that the Israeli attack on March 27 killed a family of six and a Hamas spokesman. Gaza's health agency announced that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict broke out in October 2023. After more than a year, in Gaza in recent days, protests have appeared with hundreds of people participating, protesting the war and Hamas' control of the strip. This is a rare development from the people of Gaza, when openly opposing Hamas after more than a year of conflict.

A coalition of Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, has warned of sanctions against those deemed to be “supporting” Israel. Hamas officials have stressed that people have the right to protest but that it should not be used for political purposes or to discredit Israel’s actions in Gaza. Some protesters say they are simply expressing their frustration with the prolonged conflict, which has severely affected their lives and basic needs.

Shuttle diplomacy

As fighting in the Middle East continues to rage, diplomatic mediators continue to work to find viable solutions to restore a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to The Times of Israel , on March 27, Qatar presented Hamas with a US proposal, under which Hamas would release American hostage Edan Alexander, in exchange for US President Donald Trump issuing a statement proposing restraint in attacking Gaza and sitting down to negotiate a permanent ceasefire. However, diplomats are not optimistic that Hamas will accept such a weak and non-binding proposal.

Meanwhile, AFP news agency quoted informed sources as saying that the discussion process between Hamas and the mediators has not really made a breakthrough, as the key to success will depend on goodwill, whether Israel and Hamas are willing to make concessions or not. Egyptian officials said there were positive signs from Israel towards the proposal put forward by Cairo, including Hamas releasing five hostages per week, and Israel implementing the second phase of the ceasefire after the first week, but Tel Aviv has not responded to this information.

Professor Mohamad Elmasry, from the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies (Qatar), told Al Jazeera that there are currently two core positions. Israel and its ally the US want a deal to release hostages without ending the conflict, so they will try to put military pressure on Hamas. Conversely, Hamas and Arab states in general want the release of prisoners to go hand in hand with ending the war.

"The proposals from the mediators all require Israel to move to a phase 2 agreement (negotiating a permanent ceasefire). Whether Hamas will be under so much pressure that it has to make concessions remains open," said Professor Mohamad Elmasry.

Israel exposes plot to use UAVs to smuggle weapons

The Israeli army and police said yesterday they had foiled a plot to smuggle rifles from Egypt into Israel using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), The Times of Israel reported. Israeli authorities detected the UAV crossing the border into Israel and shot it down. The UAV and nine rifles were handed over to the police for investigation. Earlier, on March 27, the Israeli army discovered a UAV being used to smuggle 10 kg of drugs. In recent months, Israel has discovered many cases of UAVs being used to smuggle weapons and drugs into Israel from the Egyptian border.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cho-dot-pha-cuu-van-lenh-ngung-ban-gaza-185250328221213275.htm