With the announcement that the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Friday, the history of agreements and ceasefires between the two parties comes to mind. Will the new ceasefire, which the world waited for 47 days, hold, or will it collapse like its predecessors? Throughout the history of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, wars have only seen ceasefires or truces after fighting intensifies.
In 2008, a ceasefire led to a halt in hostilities following an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip; it lasted six months and was brokered by Egypt. The ceasefire included mutual cessation of hostilities, easing the military and economic blockade on Gaza, including opening all border crossings. However, this ceasefire quickly collapsed the following month when Israel launched a large-scale ground attack on the coastal enclave.
In 2012, after eight days of intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza, mediators such as the U.S. and Egypt entered negotiations, leading to a ceasefire that halted violence for an extended period and aimed to prevent arms smuggling into the region. It also included an agreement to allow humanitarian aid and open the crossings. Yet, this ceasefire stumbled after Tel Aviv accused Egypt, the mediator, of bias towards Hamas.
In 2014, following a 50-day war that left over 2,000 dead in Gaza, a ceasefire led to a cessation of hostilities and the opening of crossings to deliver humanitarian aid and reconstruction supplies. However, it also failed as battles continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas exchanging blame for the ongoing conflict.
Today, the situation does not appear to be different, especially as Tel Aviv affirmed after the October 7th operation that it is determined to achieve its goal of ending Hamas militarily and politically. Since Hamas launched its attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 240 hostages, Israel has responded with relentless airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, leading to the deaths of over 14,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled territory.
