Hamas is putting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
His first public reaction to the group’s ceasefire agreement was that it “falls far short of meeting Israel’s demands.”
Nevertheless, he sent a delegation to discuss it.
He is in a political bind. His government relies on support from Jewish ultranationalists. They threatened to overthrow Rafah if Israel did not fully occupy it. A ceasefire does not mean a Rafah attack.
At the same time, families and supporters of Israeli hostages are demanding a deal to bring them home.
Americans want a deal. If Joe Biden presses Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire, the Israeli prime minister will have to choose between the survival of his government and the critical support the US president has given him since the October 7 attacks.
A ceasefire would also mean Israel would not be able to achieve the “complete victory” promised by Netanyahu.
More negotiations and difficult choices await next.
Read Jeremy Bowen’s full article here.