In a kibbutz near Gaza, Israelis are divided over ongoing negotiations

Talks for a truce in Gaza continue Friday in Doha, Qatar. In the kibbutzim targeted by the Hamas terrorist movement on October 7, these talks are causing a lot of reaction.

A new round of negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip opened on Thursday, August 15 in Doha at the call of Qatar, the United States and Egypt. These talks, which continue on Friday, August 16, are being closely followed by the Israelis, and in particular by the inhabitants of the kibbutzim in the south of the country, near the Palestinian enclave where Hamas fighters sowed terror on October 7.

On October 7, Ayana was not at home. She was on vacation in Jerusalem with her family when a Hamas commando attempted to enter her kibbutz in Saad, less than three kilometers from the Gaza Strip. “They tried to get in and they all got killed”she explains. They were all eliminated or pushed back by armed locals, helped by a few Israeli soldiers who happened to be passing by.

Ten months later, Ayana is back in her house. “There are still alerts. We still have rockets falling. It’s very difficult to sleep.”she assures. This future mother is following very closely the negotiations currently taking place in Qatar. She does not want the fighting to end until Hamas is defeated: “I think we have to put an end to this. We have to make sure that Hamas is no longer part of the Gaza Strip.”.

Ayana therefore expects nothing from these negotiations. This is also the case for Yedidia: assault rifle slung over his shoulder, he is part of a self-defense group charged with protecting the kibbutz. “I think that these negotiations will not produce anything, he assures. I’ve seen so many agreements that were not respected and that’s what led us to October 7th. We don’t want to be massacred again one morning, when we wake up. I believe that when you start something, you have to go all the way.”.

Yet others, like Daniel, 73, are calling on the Israeli government to reach a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of the hostages: “In my opinion, there is no choice but to bring back all the hostages, dead and alive. Whatever the cost.”.

“We must stop this war which no longer has any meaning.”

Daniel, from Kibbutz Saad

to franceinfo

“It is horrible that so many people have died in the Gaza Strip, children, women and old people. In fact, the war that Israel has waged so far is largely a war of revenge.”Daniel believes. Above all, he fears a failure of the negotiations which could push Iran to carry out its threat and attack Israel.