Will the peace last? After more than 460 days of devastating war in Gaza, a tentative ceasefire deal has finally been reached. Many feel it could be too good to be true.
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Brutal Gaza war ends in fragile truce
Will the peace last? After more than 460 days of devastating war in Gaza, a tentative ceasefire deal has finally been reached. Many feel it could be too good to be true.
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"What will you do on the first day of the ceasefire?" the reporter asks children standing in front of a devastated landscape of rubble in North Gaza.
"I want to visit my mother's grave," says one young boy. "I want to sleep alone in my bed without hearing the sounds of missiles as they drop on us," says a young girl clad in a furry pink jumper.
More than one in 50 people in Gaza have been killed so far. They number at least 47,000, though some analysts place the death toll at more than 70,000 - or one in 35 inhabitants.1 At least 18,000 of the dead were children.
And now, a tentativeUnconfirmed or hesitant. , fragile ceasefire - a 700-word document upon which the hopes of two million people depend.2
It will allow for displacedForced to leave their homes Palestinians to return to what remains of their homes, receive much-needed food and medicine through aid convoys, and to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment if necessary.
The first stage of the deal will also see an exchange of hostages and prisoners, and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Stage two will see a full withdrawal of troops.
It is not yet set in stone. Israel's cabinet has delayed a planned meeting to ratify the agreement after last- minute disputes with HamasA militant Palestinian organisation, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK., and the country's far-right national security minister is threatening to resign. Israel has also continued its attacks on Gaza, killing more than 70 people.
Who is to thank for the miraculous deal? Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have claimed credit.
Biden has been promising a ceasefire for many months, and many wondered why it had been implemented just days before Trump's inauguration on 20 January.
Nobody yet knows if the deal will hold. Many western commentators fear that war could resume after the first phase, lasting 42 days, is over.
Will the peace last?
Yes: This is easily the most significant event in the war so far. Israel can see that Trump is going to take a far tougher approach to its actions in Gaza, and will not risk further military operations.
No: Israel has proved that it is reluctant to end its bloodthirsty occupation of Gaza. It might have been strong-armed into a ceasefire, but it will certainly only see this as temporary.
Or... A ceasefire is not peace. A ceasefire only means that fighting has halted. Lasting peace means a permanent end to conflict, as well as justice and acknowledgement for the many innocent lives claimed.
Tentative - Unconfirmed or hesitant.
displaced - Forced to leave their homes
Hamas - A militant Palestinian organisation, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.
Brutal Gaza war ends in fragile truce
Tension: Families of hostages seized from Israel by Hamas on October 7th 2023 have no idea what condition their relatives are in — or whether the peace deal will hold long enough for them to be freed. Glossary
Tentative - Unconfirmed or hesitant.
displaced - Forced to leave their homes
Hamas - A militant Palestinian organisation, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.