​Truce under fire: on the first phase of the  Israel-Hamas ceasefire

As the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire comes to an end on Saturday, there are growing signs that the already fragile truce is under enormous strain. When the deal was reached in mid-January, the understanding was that it would be implemented in three phases. In the first, Israel was required to reposition some of its troops, letting displaced Palestinians move from the south to the north, and release more than a thousand security prisoners in return for some 32 hostages. In the second phase, both sides are required to bring the war to an end, while the third phase is about the reconstruction of Gaza. In the first 42 days, both sides stuck to their commitments despite challenges — Hamas released 38 hostages and Israel freed hundreds of prisoners. Talks for the second phase were to begin days earlier — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation to Cairo only on Thursday. And, according to the deal, Israel was to complete the withdrawal of its troops from the Philadelphi corridor, the 14-kilometre stretch along southern Gaza’s border with Egypt, by Saturday. But on Thursday, an Israeli soldier ruled out an Israeli pull back from the corridor, casting doubts on the future of the ceasefire.

When Israel launched the war on Gaza, following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 cross-border attack in which 1,200 people were killed, Mr. Netanyahu’s declared objectives were the dismantling of Hamas and the release of the hostages. But after 15 months of war, in which nearly 48,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,00,000 wounded, Israel achieved neither of the goals, which eventually forced Mr. Netanyahu to strike a deal with Hamas to get the hostages out. For a permanent end of the war, Israel has to leave Gaza. If Mr. Netanyahu withdraws his troops, Hamas will remain in power in the enclave, an outcome that could lead to the collapse of his right-religious government. The proposal by United States President Donald Trump to “own Gaza” and ethnically cleanse the strip’s 2.3 million Palestinians seems to have hardened Israel’s position further. But by keeping its troops in Gaza, Israel is not only violating the terms of the ceasefire but is also stepping into the abyss. Despite its superior forces and unmatchable fire power, Israel has failed to destroy Hamas, which, in the words of Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari, is “rooted in the hearts” of Palestinians. After the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas will still have over 60 hostages. So, if Israel refuses to exit Gaza and extend the ceasefire, what is awaiting the enclave is a war of attrition. Instead, the Jewish state should honour its commitments under the agreement. The U.S., rather than make outlandish statements such as ethnically cleansing Palestinians, should use its leverage over Israel and its Arab neighbours to implement the ceasefire and draw up a plan for post-war Gaza, that includes its governance and reconstruction.