We watched as Gaza was destroyed. Israel, Hamas cease-fire is too little, too late. | Opinion
A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is a welcome reprieve from the catastrophe we have seen in the Middle East. It’s also a tragic reminder of the lives lost and the ones that the fighting has permanently altered.
For more than 15 months, the world has watched as Israel decimated Gaza following the deadly Hamas terrorist attack. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, although one new analysis estimates the number is closer to 64,000. Nearly 2 million Palestinians, accounting for 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced.
More than two-thirds of the region’s structures have been damaged or destroyed.
So, news of the cease-fire going into effect Sunday was welcomed. As was that three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released that day.
The question is what comes next.
There’s a real possibility that fighting begins again after the initial 42-day cease-fire. Will Israel and Hamas be able to work out something permanent, or are we simply witnessing a pause in the war? And how will the U.S. involvement change now that Donald Trump is president again?
A Gaza cease-fire deal in three phases. Will they all happen?
The war between Hamas and Israel began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. Ninety-four hostages are still being held by Hamas, including many who are no longer alive.
While Hamas' Oct. 7 actions should be condemned, we can't lose sight of the lives lost. The rest of the world has watched as thousands of civilians have died, hospitals have been bombed and Gaza has been reduced to rubble.
In addition to the Palestinian deaths, 840 Israeli soldiers have been killed since fighting began in 2023.
In Phase 1 of the cease-fire deal, the pause in fighting accompanies the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian protesters held by Israel. Israeli troops will also withdraw from parts of Gaza, and trucks of humanitarian aid will make their way to the region.
In Phase 2, for which negotiations are set to begin 16 days after the initial cease-fire, the remaining living hostages will be returned and Israel will withdraw the remaining troops from the Gaza Strip. This is where the deal could fall apart, as Israel wants to see Hamas eliminated, and Hamas refuses to release the remaining hostages until Israeli troops have been removed.
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Phase 3 will be the retrieval of the bodies of hostages from Gaza and the eventual rebuilding of the region. It’s expected to take decades due to the sheer levels of destruction. It's unclear that Israel and Hamas will get to this point.
Trump has also said that he's "not confident" the cease-fire will remain intact.
The cease-fire is needed but it's too little, too late
For those of us in the United States, the destruction of Gaza is accompanied by the haunting knowledge that our tax dollars have funded Israeli bullets and rockets. By the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the United States had sent a record $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel. This spending has been the impetus for protests across the country, on college campuses and at political events.
Former President Joe Biden and President Trump have taken credit for the cease-fire deal. The Biden administration says the agreements are the provisions laid out last May. Trump says the cease-fire is only possible because he won in November.
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Congratulations, I guess, to two men who did what they were supposed to do all along.
At the end of the day, who orchestrated the deal doesn’t really matter; what matters is that it’s here and what happens next.
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In the two days prior to Phase 1 even beginning, Israel killed at least 115 people in fighting and airstrikes. It’s a horrific reminder that some people would rather see fighting continue.
In fact, Israeli lawmakers delayed their initial vote on the cease-fire because far-right members of the government threatened to quit if the deal went through. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the delay, claiming they created a “crisis.”
While the cease-fire is welcome news, there is a very real possibility that we have yet to see the end of the Israel-Hamas war. It also does not erase the sheer number of deaths we have seen in the region and the generational impact that will have.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel, Hamas ceasefire is more pause than permanent | Opinion