Men walk with an animal-drawn cart carrying wood salvaged from Israel’s destruction of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, April 7, 2024 (AFP)

I joined Dublin NewsTalk on Monday to analyze Israel’s announcement that it is pulling back some troops from southern Gaza and the wider political and military maneuvers of the Israeli War Cabinet.

I cast doubt on the portrayal of the redeployment as a “withdrawal”, noting that: 1) Israel is maintaining some forces in the Khan Yunis area, which it has been attacking for four months; and 2) Israeli officials are still promoting the idea of an assault on Rafah, where up to 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have congregated.

I link that to the wider analysis of a War Cabinet where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still dedicated to his declaration of “absolute victory” over Hamas; of a death toll in Gaza now above 33,000 since October 7; and of limitations on aid, despite Israel’s high-profile “compromise” last week after Biden Adminstration criticism of its killing of seven humanitarian staff of World Central Kitchen.

See also EA on Times Radio: Is Biden Getting Tough With Israel Over Gaza?

In those circumstances — and with the US still maintaining military aid to Israel — I explain why it is unlikely that renewed talks in Cairo will make any progress towards a ceasefire.