Ceasefire Offers Fragile Hope For Peace In Gaza

The ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas Movement continues, offering a fragile hope for a lasting peace in the Gaza Strip and other fronts in the Middle East.

On November 24, the ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, entered into effect. The ceasefire was supposed to last for four days, with Hamas releasing a total of 50 Israeli hostages and Israel freeing 150 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.

In the very first hours of the ceasefire, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire at civilians attempting to return to their homes in northern Gaza, killing two and wounding several others. However, the ceasefire held on and both sides went on to fulfill their commitments.

On 27 November, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a two-day extension to the ceasefire was agreed in which 20 Israelis and 60 Palestinians would be released.

The IDF announced that its troops killed three Palestinian gunmen in Gaza, who allegedly violated the ceasefire, on November 29. Despite this, the ceasefire continued.

As of November 29, a total of 72 Israeli hostages were released by Hamas. Three of whom were Russian citizens who were freed by the group as a gesture to Russian President Vladmir Putin. In exchange for the hostages, Israel released 210 Palestinian from its jails, all of whom were women and children.

In addition, 22 foreigners, 21 Thais and a Filipino, were released by Hamas as part of a separate deal that was brokered by Iran.

On November 30 it was announced that the ceasefire will be extended for another day, with the release of 8 Israeli hostages and an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners.

Overall, the ceasefire can be considered a success. It stopped the fighting in Gaza, facilitated the entry of aid to the Strip, secured the release of dozens of hostages and led to a de-escalated across the Middle East.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah and its allies have paused attacks against the IDF since November 24, despite not being a part of the ceasefire agreement. A similar pause was observed in Iraq and Syria. The so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq halted all operations against U.S. forces in both countries to facilitate the ceasefire.

The Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen also paused attacks against Israel. In addition, the group has not targeted any Israeli-owned or operated ship since the start of the ceasefire.

Despite the success of the temporary ceasefire, Israel is still determined to continue the war on Gaza until Hamas is eradicated. Efforts are reportedly underway to broker a permanent ceasefire. However, without serious pressure from the U.S. and other allies of Israel, these efforts will likely fail.

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