Israeli-HAMAS Cease Fire Takes Effect Halting the Gaza War

What Happened?

After an hours long delay to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza caused by the reluctance of HAMAS to provide Israel with a by-name list of hostages, the new peace deal took effect Sunday.

It brought to a halt to the fighting in Gaza for the first time in 15 months.

Just after the agreement took effect, at least three Israeli hostages were released along with scores of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.

Although the terms of the peace deal call for at a 42-day pause in the fighting, it’s unclear how long the new arrangement will last.

But as of today, the fighting had stopped, and the peace deal appeared to be holding.

Why it Matters

The ceasefire will have effects that will ripple across the Middle East.

Most directly the deal brought an end to combat operations by the Israeli Defense Forces against HAMAS targets in Gaza and a halt to any attacks being carried by HAMAS against Israel.

For now, it also appears Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthi will stop attacking Israel, though how long they will refrain from such attacks is unknown. 

With fighting on pause, both sides will have an opportunity to replenish losses and reconsider their strategies for the future. While the ceasefire didn’t include any political deals to address the underlying problems which led to the war in the first place, it’s likely those very conditions will be on the minds of decision makers on both sides of the conflict.

HAMAS started the war by launching a series of brutal terrorist attacks on Israel. But Israeli leaders are keenly aware their own policies towards Gaza before those attacks need to be reexamined.

In the United States the political jockeying to claim credit for the cease fire is already underway. Outgoing Biden and incoming Trump administrations are both vying for credit.

Representatives from both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump were present for the final portions of the negotiations, meaning that both men have a legitimate claim to at least a part of the credit for the ceasefire deal.

For Iran the Gaza War has been a resounding defeat, as Israel’s military consistently trounced Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthi.

In addition to the military defeats, Iran has suffered a serious blow to its reputation across the Middle East. It will now have to confront growing criticism at home because many Iranians are angry at the regime in Tehran for spending so much money on a failed effort to destroy Israel.

How it Affects You

A ceasefire is not a permanent end to a conflict, it is just a temporary pause.

Without any further political deals to address the underlying problems which led to the war, the conflict could resume once the ceasefire ends, or even before then if one of the belligerents violates the terms.