Gaza Ceasefire Fears: A Fragile Peace Teeters
Gaza’s ceasefire faces collapse amid renewed airstrikes. Residents fear for safety as hopes for lasting peace diminish. Get the full story now!
For Ismail Baba, a father of four displaced numerous times in Gaza, the recent ceasefire brought a brief, much-needed respite. After struggling with hunger and constant movement, he believed his family would finally be safe from Israeli bombs. However, this sense of security proved short-lived. A wave of Israeli airstrikes struck Gaza on Sunday morning, shattering the fragile peace and rekindling fears of a full-scale war.
The nine-day truce, meant to facilitate the return of Israeli hostages, now hangs by a thread. Gaza residents, like Baba, are increasingly worried about its imminent collapse, a feeling exacerbated by past experiences. A similar ceasefire in March ended abruptly when Israel resumed bombing, failing to advance to a permanent peace agreement. Deep disagreements persist between Israel and Hamas regarding the implementation of the second phase of the US-drafted peace plan.
Sunday’s violence saw Israeli airstrikes hit areas across south, north, and central Gaza. Israel stated these strikes were in response to an attack on its soldiers by Hamas militants. Baba expressed his anxiety, noting, “I felt the end of the false sense of safety we were clinging to. We had barely started to move freely between areas again, and now we are back to fear and caution.”
Adding to the tension, a funeral was held in Gaza City on Saturday for 11 members of the Abu Shabaan family, including seven children. They were killed when their car, attempting to check on their home, inadvertently crossed an Israeli troop withdrawal line. Civil defense officials reported that civilians had no clear way of knowing where this line was, although Israeli officials have since announced plans to mark it with concrete blocks.
Despite the recent surge in violence, a glimmer of hope remains among Palestinians for the ceasefire’s continuation. The prospect of renewed full-scale conflict is a nightmare too painful to contemplate. Baba, for instance, hopes for the ceasefire to hold, allowing for improvements in social, economic, and political life, and the eventual rebuilding of their homeland, despite the extensive devastation in the north. The resilience to rebuild, he believes, hinges entirely on the ceasefire’s ability to endure.