A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

Posted on January 17, 2025 Admin

After 15 months of war, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary cease-fire. The deal prompted hope that the war could end soon, but also caused worry that the tentative terms could easily fall apart.

Patrick Kingsley, the Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief, explains why the agreement finally happened — and what it means for Gaza, Israel and the broader Middle East.

Guests: Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times.

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The announcement of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza undoubtedly marks a critical moment in the ongoing conflict. For those of us who have witnessed, experienced, and then watched, mourned, and advocated from afar, this pause in hostilities provides an opportunity to reflect on the past 15 months, and the heavy price paid for this fleeting calm.

As a Palestinian, receiving this news feels like standing in the eye of a storm, in a moment of ghostly calm surrounded by chaos and destruction. For me, at least it marks the end to the bloodshed, but the fact is, the ones we lost will never return, and these scars will never heal. How would a ceasefire ever change that fact?

Ceasefires are often hailed as victories for diplomacy, but to me, they are more like pauses in a constant nightmare. This latest agreement is a reminder that, for the people of Gaza, survival often hinges on the fragility of politics. Children, mothers, and fathers carry the unbearable weight of uncertainty. I find myself asking: Is this truly a step towards peace, or just another chapter in a story of delayed justice and extended suffering?

The ceasefire’s terms, reached under immense international pressure, include a halt to air strikes and rocket fire, along with provisions to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. These measures are desperately needed. But their necessity is also an accusation of the international community’s failure to act sooner to prevent the crises that make such measures critical. Aid is vital, but it cannot heal the wounds of oppression, wide open and bleeding. Temporary peace cannot replace the right to live freely and to dream beyond survival.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and their arrest warrants, which were meant to address crimes committed against our people, are overshadowed by political inaction. Will the world pursue these mechanisms when the war ends, or will justice be buried under a mountain of bureaucracy and indifference? The failure to enforce accountability before, during, and after the conflict reveals how deeply flawed these institutions are.

Aid is vital, but it cannot heal the wounds of oppression. Temporary peace cannot replace the right to live freely and to dream beyond survival. This prompts another crucial question: Will Palestinians ever get their rights to have full control over their political and diplomatic path to justice, or will they always be eliminated from the political stage and portrayed to fit in the victim’s role? While international recognition of our plight is critical, we must chart a path towards independence from unreliable global powers.

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