Amid worldwide protests and strong condemnation from the global leaders against genocide in Gaza, Israel has come up with a fresh ceasefire proposal which is considered to be a ploy to prolong war in the Palestinian territories and to get its hostages freed.
Earlier, the bullheaded Jewish state unilaterally broke a two-month old truce on March 18 and resumed large-scale air and ground military operations in the Palestinian territory. This all out offensive has created an apocalyptic situation in which over 1,500 innocent people mainly women and children were killed and many more injured.
Additionally, thousands of Palestinians were displaced from their homes, generating one of the history's unprecedented human catastrophes. According to a spokeswoman of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, there were at least 224 Israeli strikes on residential buildings and tents for displaced people in the Gaza Strip during the past 20 days. With these latest deaths, the total death toll of Palestinian people since the war that started October 7, 2023 after Hamas militants launched sudden attacks on Israel has passed nearly 52, 000.
The new 45-day proposed Israeli ceasefire mainly demanded the release of half of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Palestinian fighters took around 251 hostages, of which, 58 are still held in Gaza.
Israeli negotiators also wanted to see the Palestinian fighters disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war. But Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have apparently rejected the proposal saying that the issue of 'disarmament' is non-negotiable.
Alternatively, Hamas informed the Egyptian ceasefire mediators that it is willing to agree to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the entry of aid as the United Nation warned that Gaza's humanitarian crisis was spiralling out of control with no aid entering the territory for several weeks.
The latest Gaza ceasefire was proposed amid series of protests and demonstrations across the world against Israel's inhuman atrocities. There were grandiose protests in Bangladesh last week in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian brethren.
Separate processions and gatherings were organized in Dhaka and other parts of the country under the titles "March for Gaza" programme and "The World Stops For Gaza" in which thousands of people from all strata participated.
World leaders have raised strong voice against Israel's continued killings of innocent people. For instance, French President Emmanuel Macron along with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has called for an urgentceasefire in Gaza.
Most importantly, in a major development, Macron has announced that France could recognise a Palestinian state within months and hoped it would trigger other countries to follow suit. He also pointed to the fact that those countries which do not recognise Israel should recognise Palestine as a state sometime.
We are in belief that almost all the countries particularly Muslim states will stand beside the oppressed Palestinians with extending their recognition to the Palestinian state like France's.
