Israel and the Palestinian independence movement Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire after 15 months of fighting. The ceasefire will begin the process of releasing remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, mediators say.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not confirmed the ceasefire agreement as of Tuesday. But the ceasefire could end the bloodiest and most destructive fighting between Israel and Hamas in recorded history, a conflict that has rippled across the Middle East, extending beyond Israel and Palestine. It has also brought the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the heart of the region's deep-seated instability.
Israel can claim to have achieved various strategic successes in this war, such as killing top Hamas leaders including Ismail Haniyeh, supporting Hamas against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and even attacking Iran, killing and damaging important leaders.
But Israel has failed to achieve its two main goals. One is to eliminate Hamas. The other is to return all Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Israel has been able to weaken the Palestinian independence movement by carrying out relentless brutal attacks and destruction in Gaza, but they still survive. Some of the hostages held in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces. Some have been released by Hamas on their own. In some cases, Hamas has killed some hostages in the face of advancing Israeli forces.
Israel sees the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza as its "sacred duty." In fulfilling this duty, it will have to endure the "pain" of releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners in a unilateral agreement. The failure to reach an agreement after months of negotiations has also caused great damage within Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu promised to achieve a "total victory" in the war with Hamas and to return all hostages from Gaza, but these promises have not materialized. Instead, he has faced widespread protests within the country. Among the protesters were family members of some of the hostages. Critics of Netanyahu accuse him of pursuing his own political interests rather than quickly returning the hostages. However, he has denied these allegations.
Israel's brutal campaign in Gaza has already sparked outrage around the world. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is investigating allegations of genocide against Israel, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and a top Hamas commander on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hamas survives amid the rubble of Gaza
Hamas said its October 7 attacks on Israel were aimed at bringing the Palestinian plight and the issue of freedom to the attention of the international community, punishing Israel for its continued occupation of Palestinian territory, and bringing back innocent Palestinians held in its prisons.
By attacking Israel, Hamas has managed to attract the attention of the international community on the issue they expected. However, the violence that Israel has started in Gaza has come at a devastating cost to the Palestinians. This cost is such that some entire families have been killed by Israeli bombs, some have lost their husbands, children and fathers, and house after house, school and hospital have been destroyed. In total, 46,000 people have been killed. Most of them are women and children. And this valley has become a hellish place. As far as the eye can see, there is only the reflection of ruins.
Israel claims to have killed more than 17,000 Hamas fighters in the war, although the country has been unable to provide any evidence to support this.
According to UN officials, 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, or about 90 percent of the total population, have been displaced by the 15-month Israel-Hamas war. A large portion of these displaced people are struggling with hunger and disease, living in makeshift tents, living in extremely unsanitary and inhuman conditions.
Top Hamas leaders in Gaza have been killed in Israeli aggression and attacks. In addition, several of the organization's mid-ranking commanders have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces. Hamas's rocket stockpile has also been largely depleted. Several underground tunnels have been destroyed.
Despite all this, Hamas has maintained itself as a powerful armed group and continues to carry out deadly attacks on Israeli forces. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week that Hamas has recruited nearly as many fighters as it has lost in the war.
It is apparently impossible for Israel to eliminate Hamas. Even after surviving the conflict with Israel and freeing Palestinian prisoners from its prisons, the organization's popularity may increase. Since its founding in the 1980s, Hamas, an armed group, has become deeply integrated into Palestinian society. In addition to Gaza, it has a strong presence in the West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon.
Headache for Biden, victory for Trump
The Gaza war sparked anti-Israel protests around the world. Protests took place on US university campuses. Divisions emerged within US President Joe Biden's Democratic Party. The whole issue contributed to Donald Trump's victory in last November's presidential election.
Israeli supporters praised President Biden for standing with them, but critics condemned Biden for supporting Netanyahu's evil deeds and prolonging the war by providing Israel with weapons.
On the other hand, the newly elected US President Trump can argue that he promised before the election that he would end the war in the Middle East before taking office. His promise has been fulfilled.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, also brokered the ceasefire from his own entourage. Witkoff said Trump's election accelerated the ceasefire process. Although the Biden administration says the ceasefire is the result of months of intensive efforts by him.
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