After 15 months of war, the Israeli government and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire, which will take place in three phases, is based on a proposal by former United States President Joe Biden.
Throughout the past year-and-three-months of fighting, Israel Defensive Forces have killed 47,000 Gaza citizens – 17,000 of them children. Researchers believe the casualty total to be even higher, estimating an under-reporting of deaths by 41% according to the BBC. In contrast, 1,139 Israeli deaths have been reported, the majority of which happened during the terrorist attack on October 7th.
The massive loss in human life was a driving motivation to reach a ceasefire agreement. Additionally, there has been total infrastructure destruction in Gaza and the West Bank; according to OCHA, an estimated 92% of housing facilities and 88% of school buildings are damaged, and 50% of hospitals are now only partly functional.
Israel has been dedicated to bringing the hostages home. Many Israelis and Israel supporters wore or displayed yellow ribbons as a symbol of solidarity with those taken on October 7th. Israel reported Hamas captured 251 citizens, while 204 remained after the first day of fighting (Israel rescued 47 hostages the same day.) There have been conflicting reports over hostage deaths: Hamas reported that 69 hostages were killed by Israeli airstrikes, while the IDF denied these claims and stated that any and all hostage deaths were the responsibility of Hamas. On December 15th, 2024, IDF soldiers killed three hostages in a friendly fire incident.
As a part of the first stage of the agreement, Hamas has agreed to release the 33 remaining Israeli hostages from October 7th. In return, Israel has agreed to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. During this period, Israeli forces will leave populated areas, and there will be a complete ceasefire in order to allow displaced Palestinians to return home.
The second stage is more of the same, establishing a permanent ceasefire with remaining Israeli hostages being exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. After this, Israeli forces will make a complete withdrawal.
The third and final stage of the ceasefire will take years, as it entails the reconstruction of a demolished Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement has given hope to Israelis and Palestinians alike, who can now hope to return to their normal way of life. However, the ceasefire does not meet Hamas’s goal of an unoccupied Palestine, which could result in future armed conflict.