The much-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Sunday marking what is hopefully not just a temporary cessation of hostilities between the two warring factions that has come at an unprecedented humanitarian cost. According to the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas will release hostages in stages and in exchange for prisoners held in Israeli prisons -- many of whom are civilians held without charge. Crucially however, the ceasefire will allow for the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave coupled with the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied territory.
However, the risk is that the ceasefire is nothing more than ‘relief’, possibly even only temporary relief for the people of Gaza and shows none of the parties participating in the discussion in a positive light. For one, the terms of the current ceasefire, are not too dissimilar to ones that were being discussed, but consistently rejected by Israel months ago allowing the war to prolong much longer without achieving any further tangible objective other than the killing of civilians.
Even as the world greeted the news that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire, Israel continued to bomb Gaza killing around 70 civilians -- news that had become the norm over the past year and a half or so. More than that however, the ceasefire, while still in its early days, appears to be very tenuous. For one it is being signed between two unequal parties. That is, even though Israel has agreed to the terms of the deal, it appears to be the party most keen not to keep its side of the bargain. For example if Israel releases Palestinians it has been holding without charge in exchange for hostages from Hamas, what stops Israel from simply re-arresting the same hostages?
Statements coming out of Israel after the cabinet agreed to the ceasefire were nothing short of combative -- ranging from showing an overeager willingness to return to war should further negotiations break down. In other words, the ceasefire remains very fragile. Beyond that however, the questions of accountability still remain. Across the nearly one-and-a-half year war, Israel has been accused of committing war crimes and genocide without even as much as a hint that they will be held accountable. This is largely due to protection that the state of Israel receives from the West including in the form of military aid, veto against UN resolutions condemning Israel, etc.
Besides the larger questions Israeli soldiers also need to be held accountable for the targeted killing of journalists, women, children and paramedics via sniper attacks and attacks on ambulance convoys without any consequence whatsoever.
If there is to be lasting peace in the region, it cannot be one that allows the very oppressive conditions that mark not just Gaza but also the West Bank to continue. A ceasefire is a welcome relief, but unless it sets the foundation for a larger peace deal in which both sides make binding commitments towards treating each other with respect, there will be no lasting peace.
For the moment the world is watching carefully, albeit nervously, not just because of the innumerable human lives that are at stake, but also because the entire 18-month long war has exposed the ineffectiveness of international institutions and the hypocrisy of the West.
