Will Hamas Lose Patience With Empty Egyptian Israeli Promises?
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Roshan Amiri
- . December 9, 2021
- . Update: December 10, 2021 11:36 am
Israel–As the situation stands now, the peace restored between Israel and Hamas continues to be a fragile affair, as the lack of progress in indirect negotiations has not come through. Though this was supposed to happen under the auspices of Egypt, a Hamas official has been quoted by a local media agency, the efforts have not resulted in a promising outcome.
The point of contention is the access to construction material that has been stopped by Israel. Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have already warned of dire consequences if Israel does not lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip. Palestine is in desperate need for reconstruction material to undo the damage done to their inhabitance.
The material has to enter the coastal enclave at the earliest. Else, Israel is risking an escalation in hostilities. Hamas official said, “we are running out of patience.” Even after six months of the end of a 11-day cross-border conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Palestinian factions continue to blame Israel for the rising tension.
As tensions build up in the absence of support material and (at times) expansion of the Gaza fishing zones, political analysts also believe there are chances of escalations the way they were prior to the May ceasefire.
“In light of the continuation of the siege on the Gaza Strip, the slowdown in reconstruction and the exacerbation of humanitarian crises, we have no choice but to find ways to force the occupation to take the negotiations seriously,” the Hamas source said. The blame seems to rest on Israeli policies.
While Egypt had brokered a truce after the conflict last May, it has not acted on its words till now. It had then promised $500 million to rebuild the devastated area, to increase the flow of goods and people through the Rafah crossing, and to connect Gaza to electricity. However, none of that has been achieved. Hamas has handed Egyptian officials a so-called position paper. In it, the Islamist movement outlines its demands, but Hamas officials claim that Cairo is purposefully postponing reconstruction projects in the coastal enclave. Hamas definitely has reasons to feel deceived.
