Ceasefire talks start as Gaza hospital at heart of battle

Renewed ceasefire/hostage-release negotiations have started at a critical point in the five-month-old war in Gaza. Like so often in wars, events tend to contradict each other. Everyone wants a ceasefire even if it's only for a few weeks, to stop the killing and property destruction. But even as the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, the Israeli domestic security service, were heading to Qatar for the talks, there was a sudden escalation of violence in northern Gaza after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) returned to the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City to seek out Hamas leaders who, according to Israeli intelligence, had once again materialised at the major medical complex. Hamas has always denied using the hospital to launch attacks on Israel and on IDF troops. But Hamas denials fell apart when the IDF came under fierce assault when troops, tanks and artillery turned up outside the hospital. The use of hospitals as Hamas hideaways has been one of the most sensitive and controversial issues for Israel because in propaganda terms, the world sees Israeli troops attacking a facility which should be safe from the war because it is full of wounded patients and mothers giving birth and others having non-war medical treatment. But if the enemy is using the hospital as a shield, in Israeli eyes that becomes a legitimate target. However, the fighting at al-Shifa today will cast a shadow of doom over the ceasefire negotiations in Qatar. It also demonstrates that the Hamas leaders are still able to transfer from one hideout to another, using the complex tunnel network. The IDF thought the leaders were all located underground beneath or nearby the southern town of Rafah and plans had been laid for an attack. But have they all now switched back to Gaza City? This is a hugely complex war where Hamas enjoys many of the territorial advantages. The ceasefire talks are likely to be protracted with no guarantee of success.