ISRAEL Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu has made his intentions pretty clear as the ceasefire-for-hostage deal with the Hamas militant group kicked-off in Gaza on Sunday. The PM, who is facing a widespread firestorm over the deal, has reiterated Israel’s right to return to war if the agreement over hostages falls apart at any point of time in the six-week window. Mr. Netanyahu has also talked about the backing of the United States to him to restart military action in such circumstances. Mr. Netanyahu can not be faulted for his apprehensions nor he can be accused of being a war-mongerer given the fragility surrounding the ceasefire deal.

 

The world must understand the fear of Mr. Netanyahu over falling apart of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. It is a long-drawn process where the militants would release Israeli hostages in phases which will be complimented by Israel by releasing Palestinian prisoners. There is still some ambiguity over the release of hostages as there is no clear guideline over status of the people held. It can easily escalate tensions between Tel Aviv and the Hamas and if it happens then Mr. Netanyahu holds every right to act in self-defence to protect the lives of his countrymen. One peculiar thing about the entire ceasefire deal is it has been hammered out between a country and a group of extremists. The criticism Mr. Netanyahu is facing at home stems from this very fact which, many in Israel think, provides lawfulness to a militant group.

 

The hardliners in Israel, who have seen the country deal with terrorism with an iron hand, have always considered a deal with terrorists as a cynical idea which grants legitimacy to a group of individuals that has no qualms about killing innocents. They are opposed to granting them the stature of an equal side across the table. Mr. Netanyahu had to wade through this section to strike a deal with Hamas clearly due to geopolitical pressures including the warnings by US President Mr. Donald Trump. In such circumstances, the Prime Minister is also wary of the deal going wrong and hence to assuage some hurt feelings at home the hard talk of immediate return to war. In the prevailing fear of unpredictability, the chance of the ceasefire getting violated is purely in the control of the Hamas. The group has firm backing from many radical Islamist groups in the Middle-East as well as in many other parts of the world. It was evident from the supply of weapons and funds during the 15-month war with the Israeli Defence Forces. In the euphoria of the deal, the world should not forget the fact that it was Hamas who started the war with an unprovoked missile attack on Israeli cities on October 7, 2023. Israel had to respond to the challenge and it pressed on with the military offensive to gain and secure advantage over the militants.

 

That the deal will give Hamas a chance to regroup is a looming threat that Mr. Netanyahu realises. And the world should also keep these facts in mind if at any point Israel returns to war. The onus is, thus, on the mediators including Qatar and the United States to keep both sides committed to the ceasefire for the sake of saving human lives. The difficult part of this exercise is handling the Hamas group. Given the animus harboured by many in the Middle-East against Israel, the interested actors can easily manipulate the Hamas leadership to stoke another fire. Such a step can be disastrous for the larger region as Mr. Netanyahu would miss no chance to strike Gaza the moment he feels the agreement has been violated. And the world will also have to support Israel because use of force by a country in self-defence against a non-State actor indulging in terror acts is absolutely legitimate. The host State holds every right to defend its people even if it means an armed offensive in disputed territories.