Israel - Palestine Conflict: The Cease-Fire May Reach Soon

Even though the fighting between Israel and Palestine continues, which has already killed at least 12 in Israel and 227 in Gaza, the world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, are intensifying their calls to end the conflict.

According to Israel senior official working on the negotiation, the cease-fire could reach in the next two days, which is May 22, 2021. The discussion on cease-fire will be done in several stages. The first stage would talk about the cessation of all Israeli attacks on Hamas' facilities, infrastructure, and the attempts to kill senior Hamas leaders by Israel.

This phase of negotiation will also include Hamas’ commitment to halt rocket firing on Israeli cities. There is a demand by the Israeli government for Hamas to stop their violent demonstration on the Gaza-Israel border. Adding to this, the official said Hamas must stop digging attack tunnels towards the Israel border. The official wanted to keep their anonymity since the cease-fire negotiation is underway. 

The agreement is likely to include how to deescalate the situation further after the cease-fire. The provision involves returning the two Israeli civilians by the group and Israel's returning bodies of two Palestinian soldiers. The Israel official also states that they will allow passage of funds and goods into Gaza as goodwill.

Despite all these claims based on anonymity, officially, Israel has denied the presence of any negotiation or signing of a cease-fire deal. The region experts view this as a pressure tactic on Hamas by Israel, where the latter does not feat escalation of the situation. 

As the confrontation between the two sections intensifies due to old and new tension, the region's turmoil deepens. Since the U.S. focuses on Russia China and battling the coronavirus, under every circumstance, they would not want a full-blown war in the region, which can force the U.S. to shift its attention to the Middle East.

The pressure on Israel to deescalate the situation and call for cease-fire also intensifies because the Middle East, mainly the Muslim World, has already condemned Israel's action on Jerusalem. With the status of Palestinians and Jerusalem being an emotional issue for the neighbouring Muslim countries, Israel’s  newfound position and relationship with the Arab Nations are under scrutiny.