INTEGRITY of the Gaza peace plan was shattered further after Israel resumed its brutal bombing of the territory, killing at least 45 Palestinians. The Israeli military said it had struck dozens of Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip, as both Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.
The brazen violation of the ceasefire has exposed real designs of the Jewish State and its prime backer, the United States, which kept its eyes closed to the massacre of Palestinians. The US was the main guarantor of the ceasefire and peace process but the resumption of military attacks by Tel Aviv has once again badly damaged its reputation as an honest broker and guarantor. The plan, devised by Washington in close consultations with Israel, contained scant respect for rights and interests of Palestinians and is predominantly pro-Israel but Palestinians and members of the Islamic world accepted it in the hope it will help stop daily killing of hapless Palestinians. However, the dastardly attacks carried out by Tel Aviv against a number of sites in Gaza inflicting significant loss of life (including women and children) raise serious questions about successful implementation of the peace plan. Apprehensions were expressed that the Jewish State signed the deal just to ensure release of hostages and attacks as well as announcement to halt supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza proved critics right. Israel did all this on the plea that Hamas violated the ceasefire agreement, an accusation strongly denied by the group. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets across the enclave, including field commanders, gunmen, a tunnel and weapons depots, after militants launched an anti-tank missile and fired on its troops, killing the soldiers. The armed wing of Hamas said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement, was unaware of clashes in Rafah and had not been in contact with groups there since March. This narrative has also been confirmed by President Trump who said Hamas leadership was not involved in any alleged breaches. Israeli attitude makes mockery of the implementation mechanism devised under the accord to ensure maintenance of peace and security in the region and strengthens the belief that Tel Aviv will continue with its killing spree on different excuses unless it is properly held accountable for its actions.
