A Year After the Gaza Ceasefire, Strikes Go On and the Next Phase Is Stalled

A year after a ceasefire was signed in Gaza, the calm promised by President Donald Trump has not arrived, The Independent reported on Oct. 10. Nearly 1,400 Palestinians have died in Israeli strikes since the truce took hold, according to the newspaper, and the agreement's second phase has yet to start.

Israel rejects claims that it has broken the deal and says its operations target threats. The dispute over what the ceasefire actually requires is now tied to Israel's coming election and to a worsening humanitarian situation.

What has happened in Gaza since the ceasefire?

The Independent reports that the Israeli military has kept advancing in parts of Gaza, pushing Palestinians into a smaller area. It has also not allowed humanitarian and medical aid to flow freely, the paper said. Hamas remains armed, and five Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat during the truce.

Gaza's government media office says Israel has committed more than 5,100 ceasefire violations since Oct. 10. It also says Israeli forces crossed the so-called yellow line, behind which they were supposed to stay.

The first phase did produce results. Hamas freed the remaining living hostages and returned the bodies of those who had died, while Israel pulled back partially and released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

What does Israel say?

Israel denies violating the agreement. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the accusations ignore a military buildup by armed groups in Gaza, their plans for attacks on Israel and Hamas's refusal to disarm, which it called contrary to the deal. The military said it acts in a focused way only to remove threats and protect civilians and troops. Israel has described those killed in its strikes as suspected terrorists, according to The Independent.

Yossi Mekelberg, a senior fellow at Chatham House, told the paper that the repeated violations, the expansion of Israel's occupation in Gaza and slow progress on aid make the situation worse.

How bad is conditions for people in Gaza?

Musallam Abukhalil, a 32-year-old doctor from Nuseirat who works at Nasser Hospital, told The Independent that people live in fear and that some still shelter in torn tents without proper sewage. He said only 19 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are partially functioning, and that many people lack drinking water or enough food. He also said civilians have been killed or seriously injured after being in the wrong place without warning.

Last month, Australia, Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UK issued a joint call saying Israel's aid restrictions were the “biggest barrier to a functioning health service.” They urged rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access across Gaza.

Why has the second phase not started?

The second phase is meant to bring Hamas's disarmament and Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza. According to The Independent, it has not begun, and the new board of peace has so far failed to push the negotiations forward.

Trump launched the board at the time of the ceasefire, with himself as chairman-for-life and former UK prime minister Tony Blair as an executive board member. He promised “peace for all eternity.” The Independent noted that the board includes several heads of state accused of overseeing human rights abuses.

Why does it matter?

For people in Gaza, the gap between the ceasefire's promise and daily life is the central issue: continued strikes, limited aid and a health system running at roughly half its hospitals, according to Abukhalil. For the wider region, the stalled second phase leaves the key questions of disarmament and withdrawal unresolved.

Pressure on Israel has also grown. In June, a UN commission of inquiry found that Israeli authorities and security forces had committed genocide and war crimes by intentionally targeting Palestinian children, The Independent reported. Violence is also rising in the West Bank, where local authorities say more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by settlers or troops since Oct. 7. The UK and other Israeli allies have imposed trade sanctions on the settlements.

The war's toll remains vast. Palestinian authorities put the number of Palestinians killed at more than 74,000 since the Oct. 7 attacks, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage.

What happens next?

Israel holds elections later this month, and they could remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office for the third time, according to The Independent. Mekelberg called the vote crucial for Gaza, alongside developments within Palestinian society and the stance of the international community. He said the question is whether the UK and others will keep showing impatience with Israeli behavior.

Source: The Independent