'Israel' halts strikes on Gaza under pressure from US
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- Around 500 armed operatives reportedly killed since ceasefire.
- 'Israeli' officials dispute who ordered the strikes to stop.
The 'Israeli' military has restricted and completely halted targeted strikes across the Gaza Strip following weeks of intensified operations, amid diplomatic pressure and efforts by the Board of Peace (BoP) regarding Hamas disarmament.
The policy shift follows a series of targeted killings executed across the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire took effect, which, according to 'Israeli' military statistics, resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Palestinians.
Conflicting accounts between 'Israeli' military, political leadership
'Israeli' military officials confirmed on Sunday that specific opportunities to strike operatives from Hamas's military wing were missed over the past week due to direct government policy.
However, senior political officials rejected the military's account in comments provided to Walla on Monday.
"This is a complete lie. The 'Israeli' military did not bring a single targeted killing for approval over the past week," senior political officials told Walla.
Diplomatic pressure
According to reports, Hamas's leadership based in Qatar and Turkey mounted diplomatic pressure on Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other nations, alongside the Board of Peace.
These entities subsequently pressured the White House to push for an end to deadly strikes.
In response to the diplomatic push, officials in Tel Aviv initially instructed the 'Israeli' military to scale back its operations.
However, as scaling back failed to satisfy American officials, targeted killings were completely halted this week.
Concerns over foreign influence
According to 'Israeli' military officials, Netanyahu must act to prevent the national force from entering the Gaza Strip.
Military officials warned that the entry of such a force could introduce foreign influences that would prove harmful to 'Israel'.
They alleged that Hamas could exploit these foreign influences to normalize and consolidate its rule while hiding behind the administrative process -on Turkish advice- in order to avoid disarming.
