BICOM

UN Middle East envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, believes there is a common understanding that going to war in Gaza is against the interests of Israel and the people of Gaza.

Speaking at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference yesterday in Jerusalem,  Mladenov, said Israelis and Gazans should restore and maintain the ceasefire reached in 2014. He said: “What I have seen is that no one wants a war in Gaza now. It is going to be damaging for everyone.”

Mladenov commented that: “Egypt holds the key to the political process [to end the violence]. We have been working with the Egyptians for a couple of years. You [Israel] do not have a better partner anywhere in the Arab world than Egypt.” He continued, saying he hoped that the Egyptian officials who helped agree the ceasefire, would prevent further escalation.

Mladenov sought to manage expectations about a possible deal to release Israelis held in Gaza: “We are very far from a deal to return the soldiers’ bodies and the Israelis who are being detained by Hamas” he said.  Asked whether Iranian influence in Gaza could hinder the continued ceasefire, he said: “There are forces out there that want to disrupt that agreement and push us all into the abyss of a confrontation…I am hoping that together we can overcome these forces.”

Israeli media reported this morning that there is a growing power struggle between Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya and Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Palestinian sources suggest that there are now two camps – the Haniya camp, supported by the organisation’s political wing, and the Sinwar camp, supported by Hamas’s military wing and its leader, Mohammed Deif.

A senior source has commented that: “Sinwar, who was released in the Shalit deal, promised the men who remained in prison to do everything to release them, and his actions are based on his commitment to the Palestinian prisoners. Haniya is less interested in the prisoner issue, and has refused several proposals to move ahead with a prisoner exchange deal with Israel…Sinwar might come across as more hawkish than Haniya because he comes from the ranks of the military wing. But in practice he’s far more pragmatic than Haniya, who is incapable of making difficult decisions and of shouldering responsibility.” This rift has resulted in violent exchanges between the two camps, including gunfire at the homes of senior Hamas officials.