Outside the Bubble

On November 11, seven Palestinians in Gaza were killed by an Israeli special forces operation. This was the latest event in the violent, decades- long occupation of Gaza by Israel, though there had been a ceasefire since 2014, with Israel easing up its siege and allowing money and fuel to be sent over the border. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, said on November 13 that if Israel “stops its aggression,” it would be possible to return to the ceasefire understanding of before. Even with the ceasefire, Gazans still live in unfair and inhumane conditions.

On November 14, an agreement was reached between the Palestinian and Israeli governments with the help of the deal brokered by Egyptian officials. Egypt has also been engaged in blockades against Gaza, restricting movement at the border between Egypt and Palestine. This deal, which was agreed upon in order to avoid the possibility of war, has reportedly already decreased violence in the region. The possibility of peace seemed to be in jeopardy after Israel’s covert mission, but Haniyeh has stated that “[Hamas] will respect this declaration as long as the Zionist enemy respects it.” Yahya Sinwar, another leader of Hamas, has said that he would also like to avoid war. “Through war, we achieve nothing,” he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wishes to avoid war, as evidenced by his agreement to the deal. Gideon Levy, an editor at Al Jazeera, commented that while “both parties are not interested in war, [neither are] doing enough to prevent one.”