The End of the Rising Death-Toll: Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas
By Kyrien Keeton
In a speech addressed to Israel’s parliament on October 13, President Trump stated, “After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today, the skies are calm. The guns are silent. The sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace.”
Two years after the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, with the death toll in Palestine surpassing 65,000 people, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire. This momentous step marks the beginning of a comprehensive twenty-point Peace Plan proposed by President Trump to secure lasting peace in the Middle East. The plan calls for immediate action to be taken on both sides of the conflict, including the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed-upon line and an influx of aid to be administered throughout Gaza, as well as future steps that may prove challenging to enforce, such as the permanent disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of the Gaza strip by an “apolitical Palestinian committee.”
Five days after the ceasefire began, Trump appeared at the Middle East Peace Summit alongside presidents, kings, prime ministers, and leaders from Arab and Muslim countries to celebrate the success of the peace deal. During this time, Israel and Gaza began the process of fulfilling the requirements of the ceasefire.
The terms of the agreement follow: “Once all [Israeli] hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans.” Regarding deceased hostages, “For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.”
Upon acceptance of the Peace Plan, Israeli troops retreated from within Gaza to occupy about 53% of the territory, denoted on maps by a yellow line, to initiate the immediate exchange of hostages and prisoners. 72 hours were allotted to Hamas to deliver all hostages, dead and alive, back to Israel. The twenty surviving hostages of Hamas were released on Monday as hundreds of Palestinian hostages returned home to Gaza. Palestinian criminals simultaneously slated for release were delivered alongside hostages, among the most notorious of these criminals being Hamas operative Mahmoud Qawasmeh, responsible for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014, and Imad Qawasmeh, responsible for heading a double suicide bombing on Beersheba in 2004.
Although President Trump has exhibited an enthusiastic attitude regarding the success of his 20-point Peace Plan, complications are already beginning to surface. Israel recently accused Hamas of violating the agreement by withholding the bodies of deceased hostages, many of whom are buried under rubble, with excavations ongoing. One ABC News article reports how Hamas says it “continues to uphold its commitment to implementing the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip” and that they will “continue working to complete the entire exchange process.”
Last Friday, a Hamas-led organization reported that Israel violated the terms of the ceasefire after a tank shell killed eleven people who had unwittingly crossed the line of militarization while trying to return to their homes. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say that a “suspicious vehicle was identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops.” After a series of warning shots, the IDF was forced to “remove the threat.” The incident prompted Israeli forces to physically mark the boundaries between the occupied and unoccupied sections of the Gaza Strip to avoid future altercations.
Although Hamas has partially cooperated with the peace plan, the organization has yet to comply with the U.S. President’s call to disarm. Hamas has been sighted carrying out public executions of Gazan citizens in recently demilitarized sections of the Gaza Strip. Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, believes that these killings are an attempt by Hamas to maintain control in the area, and to “demonstrate that they’re still [a] brutal terrorist organization that is going to run Gaza at the point of a gun.”
In a CNN interview, when asked what would happen if Hamas refuses to disarm, Trump answered, “Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word.”
As the situation continues to develop, the words of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to President Trump may serve as consolation. Netinyahu states, “Mr. President, you are committed to this peace, I am committed to this peace, and together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”
