By Alireza Akbari
A Bosnian-Herzegovinian activist and genocide researcher says the durability of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel is uncertain due to the lack of commitment on the part of the Israeli side.
Speaking to the Press TV website, Arnesa Boliosmik Kostura highlighted the internal conflicts in the Israeli regime and the ambiguous conditions included in the second and third phases of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect last Sunday, as factors that could affect its sustainability and longevity.
“The durability of the ceasefire is uncertain given the volatile political landscape inside Israel and the hard-line positions of figures such as Itamar Ben-Guerre and Bezalel Smotrich,” she said.
After the ceasefire agreement took effect last week, Ben-Guerre announced the withdrawal of his far-right party from Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, describing it as a “reckless agreement.”
Kostura cited Netanyahu's statements about "reserving the right to resume military operations" and the "vague terms of the second and third phases of the agreement" as factors that suggest the ceasefire, which came after 471 days of genocide in Gaza, is unlikely to last for long.
"Hard-line ministers may exploit any opportunity to stoke domestic discontent and push for policies that prioritize further aggression over adherence to the ceasefire," he told the Press TV website.
Moreover, Netanyahu's track record of prioritizing political survival over peace agreements suggests he may abandon the ceasefire if it is politically expedient.
Kostura expressed genuine doubts about the regime's commitment to the agreement, citing the "persistent" violations of past ceasefire agreements by the Israeli regime.
In a televised speech the day before the ceasefire took effect, Netanyahu indicated that the agreement was temporary, adding that US President Donald Trump had "asserted" to him that the apartheid regime would have the "full support" of the next US administration to resume the war.
His comments followed those of his cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich, who strongly opposes a ceasefire with the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement.
Smotrich had threatened to topple Netanyahu’s regime if the Gaza Strip was not occupied, calling the ceasefire agreement “a very serious mistake” and “a capitulation to Hamas.”
Given past experiences of ceasefire violations and increasing pressure on the embattled Israeli prime minister, Kostura stressed that the possibility of implementing the ceasefire agreement was slim.
“Israel’s consistent violations of past ceasefires – such as the documented violations during the ceasefire with (the Lebanon-based resistance movement) Hezbollah – demonstrate its lack of commitment to upholding the peace agreements,” he noted.
Following the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and the Israeli regime on November 27, the Zionist regime has violated the agreement hundreds of times and continued its aggression in southern Lebanon.
According to Kostura, Israel’s historical non-compliance with previous agreements – such as the repeated restrictions on humanitarian aid during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza – “creates this doubt about Israel’s adherence to the terms of the ceasefire.”
He noted that Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel reserves the right to resume military operations at any time, and given the ambiguity surrounding the second and third phases of the agreement, there is a high possibility that Israel will exploit this ambiguity.
The activist also stressed the critical importance of “international monitoring” in preserving the agreement, reiterating that “the lack of enforceable accountability mechanisms or consequences for ceasefire violations further undermines its durability.”
