Gaza City —(Map)
After more than two years of fighting, the war between Israel and Hamas seems to be ending. So far, the new ceasefire effort has been successful. The fighting has stopped, and hostages and prisoners have been exchanged. But keeping the peace and rebuilding Gaza will be a long and complicated process.
Israel, Hamas, & Gaza
The fighting in Gaza began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas brutally attacked Israel on October 7, 2022, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. In response, Israel sent soldiers into Gaza and continued to pound the area with bombs. Though Israel was fighting against Hamas, the war had terrible and deadly effects on everyone living in Gaza.
Most of the roughly 2 million people who live in Gaza were forced to move several times. Around 92% of the housing units in Gaza have been destroyed, and over 67,500 people in Gaza have been killed, many of them civilians. This includes more than 20,000 children. Most people in Gaza are now living in rough camps or temporary shelters.
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After more than two years of fighting, the war between Israel and Hamas seems to be ending. Above, a photo taken on Saturday of some of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced from their homes by Israeli forces, heading back toward Gaza City after the ceasefire.
On September 28, US President Donald Trump announced a 20-point peace plan, broken up into several different stages, called “phases”. The plan was created through long discussions between international leaders, with strong support from diplomats from Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt. Earlier efforts at a ceasefire in Gaza didn’t last long. But many people believe the current effort is different.
The plan calls for an end to the fighting, and for both sides to exchange hostages and prisoners. Later steps require Hamas to give up its weapons and Israel to completely pull its forces out of Gaza. The plan includes bringing in aid and supplies to help deal with the terrible situation faced by Palestinians in Gaza. Later stages of the plan talk about rebuilding Gaza and how it will be governed.
(Source: Gili Cohen, Kan News, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Mr. Trump and the US government put great pressure on both sides to accept the new deal. So did many countries from around the world. Soon, the two sides began taking part in discussions in Egypt, and agreed to parts of the plan.
Last Thursday, October 9, Israel and Hamas both agreed to the first stage of the plan. The ceasefire began last Friday, and Israel began pulling its forces out of some areas of Gaza. Roughly half a million Palestinians began returning to Gaza City, many of them on foot.
On Monday, Hamas and Israel completed the first important part of the new ceasefire deal – exchanging prisoners. Hamas has released 20 living hostages. Israel has released close to 2,000 prisoners. The return of people missing for so long led to celebrations on both sides.
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On Monday, Hamas and Israel completed the first important part of the new ceasefire deal – exchanging prisoners. The return of people missing for so long led to celebrations on both sides. Above, people celebrate in Tel Aviv as they watch a video of the hostage release on Monday.
Yesterday, Mr. Trump and several other world leaders met in Egypt to sign the agreement. Mr. Trump claimed the war in Gaza was “over”, saying, “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.” Leaders of several countries praised Mr. Trump for his efforts to bring peace to the region.
The current ceasefire is a huge step toward bringing peace to the area, but there are many important problems that still need to be solved. Neither side has agreed to all the parts of the peace plan yet.
(Source: Lauren Hurley/Number 10 [OGL 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
One big challenge will be getting rid of the weapons in Gaza. The plan says that Hamas members can remain in Gaza, but they must give up all of their weapons. It’s not clear that the group will agree to do this.
The plan also calls for Israel to withdraw from Gaza step by step as a new peace-keeping force begins to work in the region. It’s uncertain whether Israel will agree to fully remove its forces from the area.
Even if the peace holds, there will be plenty of challenges ahead in rebuilding Gaza and bringing support of all kinds to the people who live there.
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