Gaza ceasefire: Diplomacy ongoing, Tel Aviv unmoved.
In an article referring to the Gaza ceasefire, Al-Akhbar reported on diplomatic moves to consolidate the agreement and wrote: While diplomatic efforts continue in Cairo, Doha and Ankara to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Israel has focused its attention on recovering the bodies of its prisoners from inside the Gaza Strip, considering this its absolute priority, which takes precedence over everything else. The mediators have announced to the US that Israel is only looking for concessions and is not willing to back down.
The media outlet wrote: Israel’s focus on this clause exclusively threatens the continuity of the agreement, which is essentially based on the sequential implementation of steps; an issue that has become difficult to achieve given the current complex situation.
Al-Akhbar reported: In an effort to overcome this complexity, Turkey is hosting a meeting today with the foreign ministers of the countries whose representatives met with US President Donald Trump in New York last month. The Turkish delegation is expected to discuss with participants the importance of “making arrangements as soon as possible to ensure the security of the Palestinians and their administration of the Gaza Strip,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will stress at the meeting that Israel is “making excuses” to end the ceasefire.
Ankara called on the international community to take a firm stance against what it described as Israel’s “provocative actions.”
Fidan will also stress the need for Islamic countries to act “in joint coordination” to turn the ceasefire into a “lasting peace,” and the inadequacy of humanitarian aid to Gaza and Israel’s failure to adhere to its commitments, Al-Akhbar reported.
Fidan will also stress “the importance of empowering the Palestinians to assume responsibility for the security and administration of Gaza as soon as possible, upholding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, supporting the prospect of a two-state solution, and continuing consultation and coordination within UN institutions,” it said.