A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Jan. 19, putting a temporary end to the 16-month conflict in Gaza. The agreement comes after many failed attempts at negotiations initiated by Qatar. Unlike an armistice, which permanently stops military advances, ceasefires only last a certain period, and they are often enacted in order to pause military advancement, provide humanitarian aid and eventually end a conflict for good.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, tension in the Middle East has been rising, and many feared that a larger Middle Eastern conflict would erupt. The ceasefire deal, negotiated with the help of Qatar and Egypt, marks a hopeful turn in easing the tension with Israel, Hamas, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Lebanon.
In general, ceasefires are built on an established set of conditions and consist of multiple stages. The first stages of a ceasefire primarily focus on humanitarian aid then progress to a permanent end of the fighting and conclude with rebuilding. The first stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire allowed for the exchange of Israeli hostages with Palestinian prisoners, aid trucks to enter the territory daily and Gazans to go home. The first stage also saw the Rafah border crossing reopen after several months, allowing those stuck in Gaza to enter Egypt.
“Essentially the deal is an exchange of hostages for military withdrawals and promises of succession of conflict,” Marlborough Debate Coach and Program Head Adam Torson said. “[The] next phase after these series of prisoner exchanges and military withdrawals is to start negotiating a political transition in Gaza. It’s unclear what that’s going to look like at this juncture.”
The far more difficult second stage negotiations began on Feb. 3, when the release of remaining hostages and a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas were proposed. Israel has said that it will not completely withdraw its military from Palestinian territories until Hamas’ presence in the government is removed, while Hamas won’t return all hostages until the Israeli military withdraws from Gaza completely.
If any form of violence from either side were to occur, negotiations could be completely hindered. If an agreement is not reached, fighting could begin again in early March, according to The Associated Press.
On Feb. 4, President Donald Trump said the U.S. should take over Gaza after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt all rejected the plan, while Trump’s staff spent the next day attempting to walk back the president’s statement.
