Hamas’ Tunnel Apparatus Set Back Years, Israel Says Uri Cohen
Still, not many strategic alternatives remain for the organization ruling Gaza, expert says
While the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas shows encouraging signs of enduring four days in, the Israeli military has already begun compiling a new list of sites and facilities slated to be targeted by its air force should another round of fighting be commenced.
“Israel’s defense system is continuously prepared to defend its citizens, and the Israel Defense Forces are deployed on the ground on all fronts. The reality in the field will determine future actions,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said over the weekend.
Turkey’s Strong Rhetoric Against Israel Sets Back Attempt to Thaw Relations Kristina Jovanovski
Ankara had wanted to improve ties amid a larger overture to neighboring countries
Turkey’s strong rhetoric against Israel over the recent violence in Gaza will set back attempts by Ankara to improve relations, analysts told The Media Line.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called Israel “a terror state” that kills children and “is only satisfied by sucking their blood,” AFP reported.
Turkey was rebuked by the US for what it called “Erdogan’s recent antisemitic comments,” a charge Ankara rejected.
“I think Israeli-Turkish relations went back five years,” said Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, an expert on Turkey at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, and Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.
Haviv Rettig Gur is The Times of Israel s senior analyst.
Palestinians inspect the damage to their homes following a ceasefire between Gaza s Hamas rulers and Israel, in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Hamas just concluded eleven long and painful days of war that inflicted on it enormous damage.
Many have noted how it successfully used its surprise May 10 rocket bombardment of Israeli cities to position itself as the undisputed leader of the Palestinian cause in place of decrepit old Fatah.
But that achievement was attained in the first day or two of fighting. Ten more days of sustained Israeli bombardment later, the terror group now faces the military version of a painful hangover.
After hundreds killed in Gaza conflict, Israelis ask: who won? bdnews24.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bdnews24.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Far from the rubble of Gaza, where a ceasefire agreement appears to be holding and Palestinians mourn loved ones killed over 11 days of relentless Israeli bombing, plans are still quietly under way for the upcoming opening of the Israel-Gulf Cooperation Council Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
The chamber was established only in February, after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco normalised relations with Israel last year under the Abraham Accords.
Brokered by the United States, the accords paved the way for closer security and economic ties between the signatories without a resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.