Benjamin Netanyahu's Rejection of the Ceasefire Proposal with Hamas is a Sign that Israel Does Not Want Peace

Israel rejects the ceasefire proposal brokered with Hamas as the Israeli Defense Force begins a military invasion of Rafah in Southern Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, during a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel on December 23rd, 2018. Photo by Marc Israel Salem via The Jerusalem Post. Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh, right, flashes the peace sign with his right hand after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon on June 28, 2021. Photo by Hassan Amar via AP Photo.

Hamas agreed to the terms of the cease-fire proposal negotiated by Egypt and Qatar. The cease-fire was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government. The welcomed cease-fire comes on the Holocaust Day of Remembrance in Israel.  The day began in the United States with U.S. President Joe Biden speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  In Cairo, Egypt, a Hamas delegation met with Egyptian and Qatari government officials. C.I.A. Director William Burns also took part in the meetings with the Hamas delegation.

U.S. President Joe Biden was confident during the early stages of the day that an agreement to bring a temporary cessation to the military conflict between Israel and Hamas would occur. President Biden had hoped that the ongoing negotiations in Cairo with Hamas, and the threat of the United States suspending all weapons deliveries to Israel would be adequate leverage to get the Israeli government to be more accepting of the proposed cease-fire agreement.

Israel’s war coalition government did not accept the proposal that includes the release of Israeli hostages as a priority at the moment. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) chose to launch its anticipated invasion of Rafah in Southern Gaza. This decision appeases the war hawks in the Israeli government, but not the international community.

There are approximately 1.4 million Palestinian refugees seeking shelter and safety in Rafah. The normal population for the city of Rafah is 300,000 people. The Palestinian people find themselves once again trapped amid the indiscriminate bombing of its populace by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Hanah Saleh told The Guardian, “We are very scared and afraid because it’s not easy to move from one place to another, from displacement to displacement.”

The citizenry of Israel has protested in the streets of Israel’s capital city of Tel Aviv, demanding a cease-fire and that the Israeli government negotiate the return of all Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. The consistent missile strikes by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) on Gaza have put the safety and health of the Israeli hostages by their country’s military.

Two Palestinian boys walk through the debris of a home bombed by Israeli missiles in Rafah on May 03, 2024. Photo by Ismael Abu Dayyah via AP.

British Journalist Sulaiman Ahmed provided details of the terms of the cease-fire proposal on the X social media platform:

1. Immediate Ceasefire: All parties agree to an immediate ceasefire, which includes halting all hostilities and combat actions.

2. Gradual Withdrawal from Central Gaza: A mechanism is established for the gradual withdrawal of forces from the Netzarim axis and Al-Rashid Street over a specified period.

3. Complete Withdrawal to Pre-October 7 Borders: All forces withdraw to behind the internationally recognized borders before October 7, resulting in a complete disengagement.

4. Prisoner Exchange Deal: A prisoner exchange takes place within days, followed by further negotiations to discuss the exchange of soldiers and prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment.

5. Upon securing guarantees, the agreement is to be implemented within 48 hours from now.

The day began with cheers of relief for the Palestinians hearing the news of a cease-fire proposal agreement by Hamas. As the sun set on Rafah and Israel started bombarding the border city with missiles, all hope was snatched from the Palestinian people once again. The Palestinian people have endured 75 years of violent Israeli occupation and more than 200 consecutive days of Israeli military bombs falling on them from the sky.

A Palestinian man drives through the carnage of bombed-out buildings in Rafah with his three infant daughters looking out the rear passenger window on October 12, 2023. Photo by Said Khatib via AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that the Israeli government will consider the terms of the Egyptian and Qatari cease-fire proposal. On this night, the actions of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) communicates a different narrative. The Palestinian children and civilians find themselves taking the brunt of one of the most violent military assaults on a civilian population that humanity has ever witnessed. The Palestinian children endure one more long night of violent uncertainty, not knowing if the light of the sunrise or a cease-fire will ever come.