After over six weeks of harrowing Israeli violence targeting the Gaza Strip, a brief pause in hostilities has been finally announced. The Qatari-mediated truce between Hamas and Israel is set to take effect for four days. According to available details, Israel will release 150 Palestinian women and children held in detention in exchange for 50 women and minors held by Hamas.
Both sides had their own reasons for agreeing to the fragile truce. Hamas sought respite for the people of Gaza enduring brutal state-sponsored violence, while pressure mounted on the Israeli state from the families of captives to bring their loved ones back.
Despite the truce, the situation remains fragile. Israel continued its attacks, targeting southern Gaza, supposed to be a 'safe' zone for civilians, even as news of the truce broke on Wednesday.
The immediate priority should be tending to the needs of Gaza’s civilian population. This includes ensuring adequate supplies of food, water, and fuel, curtailed since the Hamas attacks on Oct 7 after Israel tightened its siege of Gaza.
Medical help must reach the Strip’s injured and infirm without delay, as Israel has laid waste to Gaza’s health system, disregarding all rules of war in its bloodlust.
However, it's crucial to understand that Tel Aviv's intentions are not for a long-term ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the war will continue, though an extension of the truce is possible.
The international community must apply pressure on Israel to extend the truce and halt the butchery of the Palestinian people. The world community has so far failed to protect Gaza’s population from Israel’s blood-soaked forays, with leading powers, particularly the US and European states, resisting calls for a ceasefire. The truce offers a chance for a long-term pause in hostilities.
While discussing a future path to peace may be premature, with the Palestinians having lost over 14,000 people in one of the bloodiest episodes of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a new paradigm for peace is desperately needed.
Although the two-state formula may be buried in the rubble of Gaza, a just solution is necessary to permanently end this cycle of violence and humiliation. As long as Israel continues to harm Arabs and seize their land, the Palestinians will resist.
Only a just peace that secures the Palestinians their rights, paves a path for sustainable statehood, and holds Israel accountable for the deaths of thousands of children can succeed.
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