As of Jan. 19, 2025, Israel and Hamas have finally reached a ceasefire agreement, putting a pause to the more than 15 months of war between Israel and Palestine. Although the conflict may not be over, a pause in the action gives us a good opportunity to reflect on the current state of Gaza and its people post-ceasefire, from everything to hostage situations to collateral damage.
Since October of 2023 when the war first began, Israel has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, and has caused devastating damage to the Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire agreement currently in place consists of three phases, with the goals of the second and the third being negotiated during the first. The agreement as a whole aims to stop the destruction fallen onto Gaza, as well as free those held captive in Gaza and held prisoner in Israel. In addition to this, the deal will allow for displaced Palestinians to return to their homes for the first time in over a year. However, due to Israel’s persistent attacks, many citizens no longer have a home to return to.
Israel’s attacks on Palestinians and the Gaza Strip are in response to a wide variety of unethical behavior exhibited by Hamas (a Palestinian terrorist organization), especially during the October 7th incident in which Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, killing over 1,000 Israelis, taking over 250 citizens hostage, and firing over 3,000 rockets targeting civilians.
The first phase, which is currently underway, is set to last six weeks and involves a limited prisoner exchange (which is a deal made to trade a set amount of prisoners on one side for a certain amount on the other), a pull-back on Israeli troops in Gaza, and a surplus of aid sent to the enclaves (areas in the West Bank designated for Palestinians).
So far we’ve already seen some of the promises come into fruition, with Israel releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, Jan. 25, in exchange for three Israeli hostages that were being held in Gaza. Over the course of this first phase, Hamas is presumed to release 33 captives, while Israel is expected to free about 1,900 Palestinians.
When it comes to the collateral damage in Gaza, the blow has been severe. Over 170,000 of Gaza’s pre-war structures have been damaged or completely demolished, which equates to roughly 69% of the total buildings in the Gaza Strip. An estimate from the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) states over 245,000 housing units were destroyed over the 15 month span. A similar statistic provided by the U.N. humanitarian office says that as of now, over 1.8 million people in Gaza are in need of emergency shelter.
In terms of the ceasefire agreement itself, although steps are being taken in the right direction, there is a thick layer of hesitancy as to whether the agreement will hold.
When asked about the strength of the current agreement, QUEST history teacher Timothy Mulvehill said, “It’s very difficult to say. With our administration just changing, it’s very difficult to predict how that U.S. administration change will impact the overall stability in the region.”
Mulvehill links the lack of clarity on the situation with the current political climate here in the U.S. “Trump, in his first term, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which is something that our government previously had not been willing to do.” He believes that Trump’s aggressive pro-Israel stance could be one of the reasons peace negotiations were discussed in the first place.
Mulvehill also mentions the long sought-after two-state solution, a proposed approach to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by officially declaring Palestine as a state (something that only a select few places recognize), which is another source of conflict and controversy heavily fused into this war.
President Trump’s influence on the war is undeniable, which was further proved on Feb. 4, 2025, when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a news conference in the Oval Office. During this conference, Trump firmly stated that The Gaza Strip, “should not go through a process of rebuilding” and instead the millions of Palestinians living in Gaza should “go to other countries of interests with humanitarian hearts.”
Trump further clarified what will become of the Gaza Strip saying, “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”
He said this transfer would “create an economic development that will supply an unlimited amount of jobs and housing,” and transform it into the “Rivera of the Middle East.”
Trump’s statements sparked responses from Hamas, the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority, and Palestine’s UN envoy amongst others (you can read these statements here), with the common consensus amongst them being that this proposal is an infringement on Palestinian rights, and that Gaza is a home worth rebuilding.
Although the current ceasefire is still in place, it’s hanging on by a thread, and is stuck in the first phase. Both Israel and Hamas have been accused of violating the terms of the agreement, with Hamas refusing to release hostages, and in turn, Israel halting all goods and supplies from entry into the Gaza Strip. As of now, it’s unclear if the ceasefire will advance to its next stage in the coming days, or even hold.
New updates are coming out every day regarding the devastating state of Gaza and the ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel. For a deeper look into past events in the timeline, check out these articles written by Corydon members Bhree Walker and Liam Hollon, which give further insight into the conflict and its history.
