KUALA LUMPUR: Experts said the Gaza ceasefire is merely a tactical move by both parties to dispute inhuman portrayals, warning of an imminent escalation in violent clashes as the truce expires.
Universiti Malaya Peace and Conflict Studies Expert Senior Lecturer Dr Muhammad Danial Azman said truce extension is scarce in war, yet expecting the war to end is unrealistic.
"The two days are a manoeuvre, a period for both Israelis and Hamas to get ready with their resources and do their strategy assessment for another game of intensified conflicts soon after the ceasefire," he told the New Straits Times.
Earlier this morning (Nov 30), Israel confirmed that it would extend its temporary two-day truce in Gaza for at least one more day, with eight Israeli hostages reportedly set to be released by Hamas.
Shortly before negotiations went on before the 7am deadline, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said that "in light of the mediators' efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the agreement, the ceasefire will continue."
The IDF said that as part of the agreement, Hamas will need to release at least 10 hostages for every extra day of the truce. Israel would in turn release 30 Palestinian prisoners for every 10 hostages.
Commenting on media portrayal, Muhammad said the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire is all about constructing and contesting images of peace and inhumaneness of both parties.
He said the Israeli-Hamas conflict has now evolved into a realm of propaganda and information warfare, with both parties actively utilising war footage to fuel global social media campaigns against one another.
"This further translates into public opinion either for anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the globe. Doctored footage clips by both parties helped with international leverage and support the war's escalation," he said.
Muhammad said while Israelis wanted to minimise exposure to their inhuman acts, they are making use of the ceasefire period to prepare strategies and tactics for magnifying negative images of Hamas as a terrorist and hence delegitimise the call for the Gaza Genocide.
"After two days, more violence is expected as Israel needs this framed magnitude to feed into their narrative of Hamas's sophisticated networks of tunnels, which is the only reason why Israel declared this attack and the rights of self-defence," he said.
He said Israelis are also trying to secure oil exploration in the nearby waters off the offshores of Northern Gaza.
Muhammad said that Hamas is instead looking for more room to record more footage of Israeli atrocities and war crime features that can be leveraged to influence public opinion and media, which in turn feeds into pressures for the United States government to advise Tel Aviv to retreat and stop.
"Those two days for Hamas is to appeal to their primary assets- their humanitarian traits and responsible combatant image of hostage release- reclaiming legitimacy as a trustworthy actor and credible negotiating partner.
"The outcome of their actions of mobilising attacks against Israel is nowhere an act of terrorism but self-determination motives of movements in the occupied territories of Gaza," Muhammad said.
He said there is actually no real break in the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
"In conflict analysis, parties seek a break or rest if it benefits them. What you coined as a break is still part of the battle clashes.
"The shorter the extended period of whatever ceasefire conflicting parties claimed, the more destructive the subsequent and expected episodes of another violent attack.
"We can anticipate more bodies in Gaza from the strategy employed by both parties," he said.