Warfare has disrupted the lives of millions of people living in Palestine and Israel since Oct. of 2023. A ceasefire plan was signed by Israel and Hamas officials on Jan. 16 after 15 months of constant bombardment.
A few days prior, former President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who hoped to strike an agreement during Biden’s last day in office. Biden called the negotiations with the Prime Minister some of the “toughest” of his career but was relieved the citizens of Gaza would receive some much-needed aid after over a year of warfare.
Two days later, on Jan. 15th, a ceasefire deal was released, which has brought a pause to the violence for six weeks and has granted the release of prisoners of war. Starting on Sunday, Jan. 19, the Israeli troops began retreating from the Gaza border, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
In addition, the ceasefire has led to a resurgence of humanitarian aid from organizations such as the Red Cross and the United Nations World Food Program. CNN estimates that the aid entering Gaza will increase to over 600 trucks a day, as compared to the fewer than 100 trucks prior to the ceasefire, providing food, clothing, and medical materials to those living amid warfare. Throughout the past couple of years, roads into Gaza have been blocked, but the terms of the agreement between the warring parties will open up access to humanitarian aid.
While medical aid flows into the country, the plans for hostage release were set into action. The agreement allows for a three-step process, with hostages released periodically. On Sunday, Jan. 19, 90 Palestinian prisoners who were held hostage by Israel were released. In turn, 4 Israeli women were released after almost 470 days of captivity. Additionally, 2 of the 3 remaining American hostages were granted their freedom in the exchange of prisoners.
This is not the first time a ceasefire has occurred. A prior ceasefire was declared on Nov. 24, 2023. The pause in warfare lasted 6 days, before bombardment of the Gaza Strip continued. Images released by Associated Press illustrate the city of Gaza before and after the start of the war. The dense strip within Gaza City lays in ruin, with rubble littering the roads from decimated buildings.
On Feb. 2nd, two Palestinians, one being a five year old girl, were killed when trying to cross back into North Gaza. Additionally, Palestinians opened fire on an Israeli citizen, increasing the number of casualties.
Though a ceasefire may have put a bottleneck to the violence, the war itself is not over. People are still being held hostage and the citizens of Gaza are still in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Israeli and Hamas officials have a variety of policies to settle before an agreement is found.
“The destruction in Gaza is permanent. The people there will be plagued by trauma for generations and the amount of damage that the people have faced is irreparable,” junior Hana Shukairy said. The influx of aid marks the start of the rebuilding process in Gaza.
After President Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. government has taken a more active role in proposing courses of action. In a purported attempt to relieve the violence racking the region, Trump has suggested a “clearing out” of Gaza and the relocation of thousands of Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt.
However, this suggestion violates both U.S. policy and International Law. “In terms of occupying Gaza, the only way we would ever, if at all, want to do that would be at their invitation,” North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer said. This is not even to mention that the proposal has been rejected by much of the Arab community. Additionally, the questions of whether the immigration is forced or voluntary—and temporary or permanent—still hang in the air.
While the ceasefire has temporarily ended hostilities, peace still has yet to be found. While the continual flow of aid does help the citizens, if an agreement is not reached, thousands of individuals will continue to live in warfare.
“The ceasefire is the opportunity for hostages to be released on both sides and also for the people of Gaza to count their dead, bury their loved ones, and try to rebuild as much as they can for the future,” Shukairy said.
