Gaza: Europe and the Arab World

The Times of Israel reported that US Special Envoy Steve Wittkopf will meet with Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss efforts to maintain the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to the newspaper.

This will be the second meeting between the two sides, following a previous meeting in which Wittkopf met with several members of Hamas's negotiating team, in the presence of Jared Kushner, advisor to US President Donald Trump, just hours before the ceasefire agreement was signed in Egypt on October 9. Euronews, the European news network based in Brussels, added that Trump said in this context that "the Middle East is very different than it was when I took office," considering what is happening in the region "a miracle." He noted "great progress on Gaza," adding that residents of the Strip "have begun to return to their homes." Trump also revealed that "a peace council for Gaza will include leaders from many countries around the world." On the ground, the Israeli army continued its bombing and shelling operations in several areas within the Green Line in the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing security tensions despite the ceasefire.

This came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday, November 18, that his government was "determined to complete the war on all fronts," referring to the attack at the Gush Etzion junction in the West Bank. Speaking at a memorial ceremony for reserve soldier Moshe Yedidia Leiter, who was killed in the initial battles of the 2013 Gaza war, Netanyahu said that Israel had "witnessed another Palestinian terrorist attack today," adding that his government would continue the war "with the goal of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip."

Israeli Army Kills Attackers
In a related development, the Israeli army announced that it had killed two Palestinians who carried out a combined car-ramming and stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction south of Bethlehem. According to the Israeli account, the two attackers arrived at the scene in a car, running over several civilians before exiting and attempting to stab those present. Both were then killed by reserve soldiers who were in the area.

The attack resulted in the death of one Israeli and injuries to three others, including a woman in her forties who is in critical condition. Following the attack, the Israeli army imposed a complete closure on all entrances to the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Hebron, disrupting the movement of residents and establishing additional military checkpoints around the area.

The attack comes at a time of escalating tensions in the West Bank and coincides with repeated Israeli statements about the intention to expand the "war on all fronts," as Netanyahu put it.