Tommy Patrio Sorongan, CNBC Indonesia
Wednesday, 11/29/2023 22:00 WIB
Photo: Israeli military operating in the Gaza Strip in a leaflet image released on November 27, 2023. (via REUTERS/ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The war between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza militia, Hamas, is still ongoing. Even so, both parties agreed to extend the fighting pause until Wednesday (29/11/2023) in exchange for the release of additional hostages.
The certainty of whether the ceasefire will be extended again is still a question.
The following are the latest developments as summarized CNBC Indonesia:
1. NATO screams about Gaza
The Western military alliance, NATO, has also opened its voice regarding the situation in Gaza, Palestine. The latest thing was conveyed by the Secretary General (Sekjen) of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, Tuesday (28/11/2023).
In a press statement following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, he reiterated his concern about war in the Middle East. He also welcomed the extension of the pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas and hoped that the pause would be extended.
“This pause will allow for much-needed assistance” for the people in Gaza, the release of more hostages and the provision of more humanitarian aid, the NATO chief was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency.
Responding to a question about “NATO’s role in the conflict,” Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO as an alliance does not play an active role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Some allies are active in different ways. But the NATO organization is not directly involved… one of the messages from NATO is the importance of this conflict not escalating into a larger regional conflict,” he added.
“We also discussed the challenges emerging from our southern environment. I have appointed a group of independent experts to address this in detail. They will submit recommendations next spring.”
2. CIA-Mossad meet in Qatar
The head of the United States (US) CIA intelligence, William Burns, and the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence, David Barnea, have flown to Qatar for talks on how to extend the ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of more hostages by Hamas.
Gaza’s latest exchange of hostages with Palestinians in Israeli prisons was completed on Tuesday evening, with 10 Israeli citizens and two Thai citizens transferred from Gaza, and 30 Palestinians freed in Ramallah and Jerusalem.
Qatar’s foreign ministry, which brokered the deal, said the freed hostages included nine women and one minor. Some of them were released by the Al Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, a local NGO, said the freed Palestinians included 15 girls and 15 boys.
Another exchange is expected to take place on Wednesday, with Israeli media reporting that Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has received a list of names of Israeli hostages Hamas wants released.
Israel said the ceasefire could be extended further, provided Hamas continues to free at least 10 Israeli hostages every day and Egyptian media reported that a deal to extend the ceasefire had been agreed in principle, with existing conditions.
The ceasefire that began on Friday initially lasted four days and allowed the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. An agreement was reached on Monday to extend the deal for two more days, until Wednesday, with Hamas set to release 10 hostages for each additional day.
So far, all those released are women and children. It is thought that to extend the ceasefire beyond Wednesday, Hamas would have to start releasing some adult male hostages, considered potential soldiers.
To make things even more complicated for Israel, the IDF revealed that the bodies of three soldiers killed on October 7 are now being held by Hamas in Gaza. Historically, Israel has sought the repatriation of the dead with the same commitment as it does to the living.
“CIA director Burns and Mossad director Barnea are in Doha to attend a series of meetings initiated by the Qatari prime minister to discuss a potential deal beyond the two-day extension,” said a source familiar with the visit, adding that Egyptian officials were also there. Doha, quoted The GuardianWednesday (29/11/2023).
3. AS Bela Hamas
The United States (US) said the Gaza Palestinian militia group, Hamas, did not use its kidnapped citizens to take advantage of hostage negotiations with Israel. This was conveyed by National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby, Tuesday (28/11/2023).
In his statement, Kirby emphasized that there was no sign that the Palestinian militant faction intended to “play games” with the American captives. He added that hostage discussions had so far focused on women and children. .
“There is no indication at all that Hamas is trying to use influence or anything to keep Americans out,” Kirby was quoted as saying Russia Today.
The spokesperson went on to state that Hamas may not have “ready access to reach everyone in the near future”. He added that it was impossible for all US citizens to be detained in the same location in Gaza.
“So, there is no indication that Hamas is trying to play any particular game here in relation to America,” he added, noting that there were still a number of US hostages in the hands of Gaza’s ruling militia.
4. Stockholm Syndrome
The war between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza militia, Hamas, has entered a new phase. Fighting between the two began to cease after Hamas agreed to release the Israeli hostages it kidnapped on October 7.
During the release and release, the captives were seen waving warmly with the Hamas militia. One hostage reportedly even wrote a letter to the Hamas members holding him hostage.
Some people themselves said that the hostages had suffered from Stockholm Syndrome. Quoting the Cleveland Clinic, this syndrome is a psychological condition of a person who is a victim of kidnapping, captivity and hostage-taking, who actually becomes sympathetic to the party holding him captive.
“The captives themselves develop positive feelings towards their captors or perpetrators of violence over time. This condition applies to situations such as violence against children, violence against coach-athletes, violence in relationships, and sex trafficking,” wrote the site, quoted Wednesday (29 /11/2023).
In addition to the original kidnapper-hostage situation, Stockholm syndrome now includes other types of trauma in which there is a bond between the perpetrator and the person being abused. Many medical professionals consider victims’ positive feelings towards their perpetrators of violence as a psychological response or coping mechanism that they use to survive while being held hostage.
This condition got its name from the 1973 bank robbery that occurred in Stockholm, Sweden. During six days of confrontation with the police, many of the bank employees who were taken prisoner became sympathetic to the bank robbers.
“After their release, several bank employees refused to testify against the bank robbers in court and even collected money for their defense.”
A criminologist and psychiatrist who investigated the incident, Nils Bejerot, developed the term Stockholm Syndrome to describe the closeness that some bank employees showed towards bank robbers.
5. Hamas gives a message to Putin
Russian Media, Tass reported that more Russian hostages were expected to be released later today. This was described by Hamas as a sign of ‘thank you’ to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the stance he took in the conflict in Gaza. The statement quoted Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook as saying.
“We have not released a single Israeli who was in Gaza, except for Russian Ron Krivoy, whom we released as a sign of the movement’s gratitude for the position of Russian President Putin. Today, several other Russian citizens will be released outside the framework of the ceasefire agreement, ” he said.
Tass noted that Abu Marzook recently visited Moscow. Krivoy was released on 26 November. The Russian-Israeli worked as a sound technician at the Nova music festival which was attacked by Hamas.
6. Israel wants to get along with Qatar
Israel has put aside its differences with conflict mediator Qatar for now, but will “resolve them” after the war in Gaza ends, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official said.
In an interview on Israeli army radio, Joshua Zarka, deputy director general for strategic affairs at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, questioned Qatar’s “role in everything related to hosting and legitimizing Hamas activities”.
“Right now we need them. But when this is over, we will resolve the problem with them,” he said.
Qatar, the US and Egypt have been engaged in intensive negotiations to establish and extend a ceasefire in Gaza and carry out a prisoner exchange in recent days. The Gulf state also hosts a Hamas office which they say is a political institution and will remain open as long as it can be used for peace.
On Tuesday, the heads of Israel’s CIA and Mossad met with the Qatari prime minister to discuss extending the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
7. Pope’s message regarding Gaza
Pope Francis has called for the continuation of the ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, according to Vatican News.
“I hope that the ceasefire in Gaza can continue so that all the hostages can be freed, and that the necessary humanitarian aid can come in,” the Pope said at the end of his weekly audience this morning.
“May we continue to pray for the serious situation in Israel and Palestine,” he said. “Please be peaceful, peaceful.”
8. Israel destroyed houses in Jenin
Israeli soldiers have blown up two houses and also destroyed roads and water mains, local sources told Al Jazeera, as its attacks on Jenin and its refugee camps continued for more than 12 hours. The houses are located in the Ad Damj neighborhood.
Dozens of armored military vehicles and at least four bulldozers stormed Jenin, a city that has become a symbol of Palestinian resistance, on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. In a rare development, Israeli soldiers were also seen on foot in parts of Jenin.
At least 20 people were arrested, including family members of Palestinians described by Israel as “fugitives”.
Medical officials told Al Jazeera that at least six people were injured, including two children. In addition, Israeli forces blocked the entrances to two main hospitals and temporarily closed the doors at a third hospital.
9. Hamas invited Elon Musk to Gaza
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan sent the invitation on Tuesday.
“We invited him to visit Gaza to see the extent of the massacre and destruction committed against the people of Gaza, in accordance with the standards of objectivity and credibility,” Hamdan said at a press conference in Beirut.
“Within 50 days, Israel dropped more than 40,000 tons of explosives on the homes of defenseless Gazans,” the official added.
On Monday, the tech billionaire, who owns the social media platform
Watch the video below:
Video: Hamas-Israel ceasefire, aid enters Gaza
(luc/luc)
2023-11-29 15:00:00
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