Pyrrhic peace : On the Hamas-Israel ceasefire 

A united administration under the Palestinian Authority must be in place 

After 15 months of war, which saw the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the destruction of much of Gaza and multiple rounds of painstaking negotiations, Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. As soon as the news was out, thousands ventured out on the streets in Gaza, hoping that the daily bombardment and shelling would come to an end. Uncertainty still lingered, but both sides resolved their last-minute differences over details about Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and the names of the hostages to be released on day one and the ceasefire came into force on Sunday (January 19, 2025). This is not a permanent end to the war. But given the violence that Israel and Gaza have witnessed since October 7, 2023, even a pause in the war is a great relief, especially for Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians. The agreement is expected to be implemented in three phases. In the first phase, Hamas will release 33 hostages, while Israel will release about 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners. The second phase would see more exchanges of hostages and prisoners and both sides are required to announce a permanent end to the hostilities. The third phase will involve discussions on the ‘day after’, including who should be in charge of Gaza.

As of now, both sides stay focused on phase one. Trouble could arise when negotiations for the next phases begin. When Israel launched the war, it set two objectives for itself — the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages. In 15 months of war, Israel has degraded Hamas’s militant infrastructure, but the group has survived and reinvented itself as an insurgency. According to Antony Blinken, the outgoing U.S. Secretary of State, Hamas recruited as many fighters as it had lost during the war. Israel’s inability to destroy Hamas or secure the release of the hostages through the offensive raises serious questions about the IDF’s military tactics in Gaza. This could probably be one of the factors that persuaded Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire. But he has not committed to bringing the war to an end. Hamas, on the other side, demands a complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza. Despite the possible roadblocks, the fact that a ceasefire came into force is welcome news. It provides a desperately needed relief for Gaza and a platform to build further talks. Israel, Palestinians as well as the international mediators should now work towards bridging the gaps in the post-war scenario. Israel will not accept a situation that would leave Hamas as a ruling force in Gaza. A more pragmatic solution is to form a united administration of all Palestinian factions under the leadership of the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, and then shift the focus towards the reconstruction of Gaza. But for this plan to work and peace to prevail, Israel should be ready to withdraw all its troops from the Gaza Strip