What Hope for a Gaza Ceasefire and What Happens Without One

Podcast / Middle East & North Africa22 July 20241 minutes

This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Mairav Zonszein, Michael Hanna and Rami Dajani about where things stand in Gaza, prospects for a ceasefire and what happens if the two sides cannot reach a deal.

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• Israel/Palestine

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Crisis Group's Israel expert Mairav Zonszein, Israel-Palestine director Rami Dajani and U.S. program director Michael Hanna to talk about the latest from Gaza, prospects for a ceasefire and the risks of all-out war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. They discuss how the violence in Gaza has evolved and the recent Israeli strike aimed at killing a top Hamas commander that, according to the local authorities, killed scores of civilians in a designated safe zone. They talk about ceasefire negotiations, whether the two sides have softened their positions on the main stumbling blocks - Hamas's rejecton of a short-term ceasefire entailing the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners without guarantees that such a truce would lead to a permanent end to hostilities; and Israel's refusal to agree to end the war without further degrading Hamas - and what governance in Gaza looks like absent a deal. They also cover the risk of a full-scale war between Israel and Hizbollah.

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For more, check out our statement A Gaza Ceasefire and our Israel/Palestine country page.

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