New Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks face hurdles; Iran's president visits Turkey for security meeting

24 Jan 2024

Negotiators between Israel and Hamas have put forward a detailed proposal to both sides for a permanent ceasefire, according to two people with knowledge of the talks, though many obstacles remain.

Israeli officials estimate Hamas is getting $8-million to $12-million a month through online donations, much of it through organisations posing as charities to help civilians in Gaza.

Iran’s president visited Turkey on Wednesday to discuss the war in Gaza and cooperation against Kurdish militants, as the neighbours seek to boost security against a backdrop of growing instability in the Middle East.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron will travel to the Middle East this week as part of the latest effort to push for a sustainable ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Talks on new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas face hurdles

Negotiators between Israel and Hamas have put forward a detailed proposal to both sides for a permanent ceasefire, according to two people with knowledge of the talks, though many obstacles remain.

The plan calls for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since the attack on Israel on 7 October, which killed 1,200 people and took many others into the territory, and the transfer of the remains of those killed and taken from Israel as well as those kidnapped but now deceased, the people said.

Israel would in turn release some Palestinian prisoners and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza would be constant and increased, they said.

Read More: Understanding the roots of the Israel-Hamas war: QuickTake

The proposal has been sent to Hamas and Israel via Qatar, which has been mediating between the sides with the backing of the US. The move is intended to end a war that has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run authorities, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble.

A permanent ceasefire remains elusive, however, mainly because Israel has said it will continue its operations in Gaza until Hamas is eliminated. The Iran-backed group is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union.

Over the past few weeks, US and Qatari mediators managed to bring both parties to agree to a 30-day process to reach the objectives of the deal, and so inching the discussions forward, one of the people said. But, while both sides agree on most details, difficulties remain on the permanent ceasefire element, the person said.

Israel says Hamas gets online donations via groups posing as Gaza charities

Israeli officials estimate Hamas is getting $8-million to $12-million a month through online donations, much of it through organisations posing as charities to help civilians in Gaza.

That would equate to a multifold increase in online funding compared with what the group was receiving before its attack on Israel on 7 October, according to several Israeli financial intelligence officials. They all spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of their work.

Washington also believes that Hamas receives significant funding from online donation sites and it is determined to help Israel put a stop to that, according to a senior US official.

All the officials said tracking and quantifying Hamas’s fundraising was difficult because the organisation had years of experience in getting around financial sanctions and other tools designed to choke off or restrict its access to money.

“There is no question that there is a sharp increase in legitimate and illegitimate charitable giving to Palestinians in wake of the Gaza hostilities,” said Matthew Levitt, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who’s spent years covering groups such as Hamas, including while previously working at the US Treasury.

“An uptick in the interest to donate gives increased cover for Hamas,” said Levitt. “I’ve seen charities that were previously designated by the US popping up, some under new names, but there are also lots of new ones.”

Hamas officials publicly call for cash gifts for their fight against Israel.

“This is not just a humanitarian issue, despite its immense importance and Gaza’s need for any aid it can get,” Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas political leader, said in January. “This is financial jihad.”

Israel has stepped up efforts with its allies to counter Hamas’s fundraising. It is part of a 16-nation task force established since the war to trace the group’s financial activities. Other members include Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Canada.

Starting about five years ago, Hamas’s expenditure was funded by about $30-million a month from Qatar alongside an allowance from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, all with Israeli approval.

Iran is said by Israeli intelligence to be funding Hamas military efforts with more than $100-million a year, money that comes alongside proceeds from Hamas investments in several countries, and donations.

Iranian president visits Turkey for security talks

Iran’s president visited Turkey on Wednesday to discuss the war in Gaza and cooperation against Kurdish militants, as the neighbours seek to boost security against a backdrop of growing instability in the Middle East.

Ebrahim Raisi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as efforts to counter the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq and its Iranian wing, according to people familiar with the matter.

Dozens of Turkish soldiers have died in PKK raids in northeast Iraq in recent months, following an expansion of Turkish army posts in the area, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information. The PKK has fought a decades-long war with Turkey for autonomy.

“Besides bilateral relations, views on current regional and global matters, Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories will be exchanged in the talks as well,” a statement from Erdoğan’s office said.

Iran has also clashed with Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq over the alleged presence there of Israeli intelligence services. Last week Tehran conducted missile strikes on what it called a Mossad spy base in Erbil.

Turkey is a Nato member, but unlike the US and the European Union doesn’t consider Hamas a terrorist organisation. Erdoğan has called the group’s soldiers “freedom fighters”, though he’s stopped short of cutting ties with Israel altogether.

UK’s Cameron to visit Middle East to push for Gaza ceasefire

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron will travel to the Middle East this week, part of the latest effort to push for a sustainable ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

During a meeting with Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, Cameron will call for more to be done to increase the flow of aid to Gaza and raise concerns about high civilian casualties, the UK Foreign Office said in an emailed statement. Cameron will also meet leaders in the occupied Palestinian territories, Qatar and Turkey.

“No one wants to see this conflict go on a moment longer than necessary,” Cameron said in the statement. “An immediate pause is now necessary to get aid in and hostages out.”

The UK has been increasing its calls for a cessation of hostilities as Israel faces mounting international pressure to wind down the conflict. Netanyahu has said the war will continue until Hamas is destroyed and all the hostages held by the group are freed.

Britain says the conditions of a ceasefire would require Hamas to release all hostages and for them to no longer be in charge of Gaza. The UK is also calling for the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza to provide governance and security.

UN chief renews call for Gaza ceasefire amid Israeli criticism

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres made a new call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying it was a “fantasy” to think humanitarian aid flowing to the territory’s people would be sufficient.

Speaking before dozens of foreign ministers who gathered in New York on Tuesday to discuss the future of the Israel-Hamas war, Guterres welcomed reports that Israel was proposing a two-month pause in hostilities in exchange for the release of the more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas.

“I renew my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Guterres told the Security Council. “No effective humanitarian aid operation can function under the conditions that have been forced on Palestinians in Gaza.”

“It is fantasy to think that 2.2 million people can survive on aid alone,” he said.

Gilad Erdan, the Israeli envoy to the UN, criticised the Security Council for its actions since the 7 October assault by Hamas.

“The Middle East is suffering from a cancer, and up until today the Security Council has only ever discussed providing aspirin,” Erdan told the council.

“What do you think will happen if there is a ceasefire? Hamas will remain in power, they will regroup and rearm, and soon Israelis will face another attempted Holocaust,” said Erdan. “Is this the outcome you seek for all of us?”

US strikes Iran-backed militia in Iraq after attack on base

US forces carried out airstrikes against an Iran-backed militia in Iraq after the group attacked an air base where US troops are stationed.

The three targets included the headquarters of Kataib Hezbollah as well as a training facility and storage space for missiles and drones, US Central Command (Centcom) on Tuesday evening. The facilities are also used by other militant outfits, Centcom added.

“These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Baghdad strongly condemned the US’s move.

“This unacceptable act undermines years of cooperation, blatantly violates Iraq’s sovereignty, and leads to an irresponsible escalation, at a time when the region is suffering from the danger of expanding conflict,” the Iraqi government said.

The US has about 2,000 troops in Iraq and they — with colleagues in Syria — have come under frequent fire from Iran-supported militias since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has said he wants to agree a date with the US and its allies for their forces to leave his country.

Read more: Red Sea shipping turmoil sends economic shockwaves far and wide

The latest operation occurred as the US and UK have been conducting an air campaign against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, which has disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea with a series of missile and drone attacks.

Centcom forces also carried out strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles in the Southern Red Sea early on Wednesday in “self-defence”, according to a post on X.

“US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region,” Centcom said. DM

Read more in Daily Maverick: Israel-Palestine War

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