Gaza Strip Violence Continues Despite Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Push

Two Palestinians were killed and more than 200 others injured during Friday’s violent Hamas-initiated “March of Return” protests along the Gaza Strip border, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to forge a long-term ceasefire. Clashes erupted when an estimated 8,000 Palestinians began burning tires and hurling rocks and explosive devices at Israel Defense Forces troops; dozens of incendiary objects also were launched towards southern Israeli communities. Senior Hamas figures participated in the demonstrations, including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar and the terror group’s overall deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, who lives in exile but was granted special permission by Israel to enter the enclave in order to discuss with other officials the details of a prospective five-year truce deal. According to reports, the agreement would be implemented in phases, the first of which calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the permanent re-opening of both the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom passage, through which Israel transfers goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza. In the next stage, the living conditions of Palestinians would be improved through the lifting of the joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade and by increasing the territory’s power supply. Finally, if the truce holds, the international community would invest heavily in Gaza-based infrastructure projects. The Israeli security cabinet was due to meet Sunday to debate the merits of the plan, which the two sides remain dubious about. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week announced the cancellation of his trip to Colombia, citing the security situation in the south, in a move being construed as evidence that a possible breakthrough is on the horizon. For its part, the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah faction called on Hamas to reject any potential deal, which it described as a “free gift to Israel and another coup against the Palestinian people and their homeland.” A concurrent diplomatic track is being pursued to end the decade-long intra-Palestinian divide between the PA-governed West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza. Numerous previous attempts to end the bitter dispute have failed, and it is unclear whether advocates for the proposed Israel-Hamas ceasefire envision the PA re-assuming administrative control over Gaza after it had been unceremoniously ejected from the enclave by Hamas in a 2007 internecine war.