2023 Israel–Hamas Ceasefire

A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip took effect from 24 November 2023 to 30 November 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war.

The initial agreement, mediated by Qatar, stipulated a four-day break in fighting during which 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel were to be released and more humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter Gaza, with the ceasefire subject to extension providing additional hostages are released. On 27 November, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a two-day extension to the ceasefire was agreed in which 20 Israelis and 60 Palestinians would be released. Close to the end of the first extension, on 30 November, another one day extension to the truce was agreed upon by both sides. The mediators in Qatar and in Egypt reported they worked to negotiate a further extension of the truce.

The deal was welcomed internationally, including by the United States, which also supported the deal's extensions. Both sides have blamed each other for violating the ceasefire. On 1 December, the truce ended with Hamas alleging that Israel rejected a hostage exchange deal to prolong the truce, and Hamas then launched rockets into Sderot. Israel responded with air raids on Gaza with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting 20 deaths. By 2 December negotiations had broken down, with the Israeli delegation leaving Qatar following an impasse and Hamas announcing they will not release any more hostages until the end of the war. The US blamed Hamas for violating the truce and the terms of the ceasefire.

By 13 December, Israel and the United States were becoming increasingly isolated amid growing global calls for a ceasefire.

Background

On 7 October 2023, during Hamas-led attack on Israel that commenced the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Palestinian militants captured or abducted around 250 people from Israel, including both soldiers and civilians, and took them back to the Gaza Strip. In addition to hostages with only Israeli citizenship, almost half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships. By 23 November, four have been released by Hamas, two were found dead near the al-Shifa Hospital and one has been rescued.

Hamas have proposed an "everyone for everyone" deal, in which Palestinian militant groups would release all of the Israeli captives in return for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israel. 5,200 Palestinians were incarcerated by Israel before the war, but according to Palestinian officials, the number rose to over 10,000 amid a wave of mass detentions; following the deportation of several thousand detained Gazan workers, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs placed the number at approximately 8,300. Many of these prisoners are held under administrative detention, a process which is criticized by human right organizations as it only applied to West Bank Palestinians, and were arrested for crimes such as speech and nonviolent protest. Families of the hostages have urged the Israeli government to accept the deal, claiming it was supported by "all of Israel," but Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has dismissed the offer and insisted that Israel would free the hostages by force. Several countries and international organisations have called for temporary or permanent ceasefires since the start of the war. Several countries have been involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar taking the lead.

Negotiations

In opposition

On 24 October, US President Joe Biden stated, "We should have those hostages released and then we can talk", and has subsequently doubled down on that opposition, saying that doing so would allow Hamas to attack Israel again. On 25 October, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also rejected a call for a ceasefire. The UK's Leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, also opposed a ceasefire on 8 November. German chancellor Olaf Scholz also opposed an "immediate cease-fire" on 13 November. However, by 13 December, Israel and the United States were becoming increasingly isolated amid growing global calls for a ceasefire.

The ceasefire was opposed domestically in Israel by three ministers from the political party Jewish Power.

In support

On 27 October, the United Nations General Assembly voted for a resolution calling for an immediate truce. It received 121 votes in favor and 44 abstentions; 14 countries voted no: Israel, the US, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Guatemala, Hungary, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.

Numerous heads of state, government officials and institutions, and international bodies have called for a ceasefire. On 8 October, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chair of the African Union, called for an end to the conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state. On 11 October, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for a ceasefire, stating, it was "urgently needed in defense of Israeli and Palestinian children". On 15 October, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for an immediate ceasefire. On 16 October, Pakistani Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar called for an immediate ceasefire and the end of the Gaza blockade. On 18 October, Dáil Éireann passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire. On 19 October, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, "The top priority now is a ceasefire as soon as possible", and called for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

On 20 October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for a ceasefire, stating Israel's attack on Gaza amounted to a genocide. On 21 October, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presented a plan for a ceasefire. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for a ceasefire, stating "as South Africans we can relate to what is happening to Palestinians". Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani called for ceasefire at the Cairo Peace Summit. On 24 October, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for a ceasefire. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for a ceasefire and for Palestinians to be "treated as human beings". On 25 October, King Abdullah II of Jordan stated ending the war was an "absolute necessity". Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, called for a ceasefire and stated that his own parents-in-law were trapped in Gaza. On 5 November, Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate ceasefire. On 7 November, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador called for a ceasefire.

On 10 November, French president Emmanuel Macron urged Israel "to stop" bombing Gaza. During a press conference at the White House on 14 November, Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for a ceasefire "for the sake of humanity". On 15 November, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Israel to exercise "maximum restraint". On 25 November, Belgian deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter called for a general ceasefire. On 9 December the prime ministers of Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Malta signed a joint letter urging the European Union to call for a permanent ceasefire.

On 19 October, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla called for a ceasefire, stating the war was the result of the "violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people". Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called for a ceasefire on 22 October. On 25 October, Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf called for an immediate cessation of bombing. Retno Marsudi, Indonesia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, called for an immediate ceasefire. On 26 October, the Foreign Ministers of nine Arab countries — the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco — signed a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire. On 8 November, UK Labour Party MP Imran Hussain resigned his frontbench position as shadow minister for the New Deal for Working People, to be able to advocate for a ceasefire outside of his frontbench position.

Various ambassadors and dignitaries also supported a ceasefire. On 18 October, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, stated her country's support for "no less than a full humanitarian ceasefire". On 21 October and during a subsequent UN Security Council meeting on 24 October, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a ceasefire. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stated, "the whole world" is expecting the UN to call for a ceasefire. On 29 October, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire and release of hostages. On 31 October, UN refugee commissioner Filippo Grandi called for a ceasefire.

On 5 November, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee issued a letter calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, signed by the heads of 18 humanitarian organizations. On 10 November, 1,000 employees of USAID signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire. On 21 November, the Scottish Parliament voted 90–28 in support of a motion calling for a ceasefire. On 17 November, Josep Borrell stated the European Union was calling for an immediate humanitarian truce. The European Parliament voted in favor of a ceasefire on 18 January. The Non-Aligned Movement announced its support for a ceasefire on 20 January 2024.

Israel and Hamas

On 2 November 2023, Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh stated that if Israel agreed to a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to bring more aid into Gaza, Hamas is "ready for political negotiations for a two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine." This followed the 1 November statement by Hamas official Ghazi Hamad that Hamas would repeat the 7 October attack time and again until Israel is annihilated. On 3 November, Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel would not agree to a ceasefire unless Hamas releases all hostages. On 6 November, both Israel and Hamas rejected calls for a ceasefire. On 15 November, Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq stated Israel was "stalling to continue its aggression and war against defenceless civilians."

In December, Israel made a proposal to stop fighting for a week in exchange for 40 hostages still held by Hamas. In response, Hamas declined this offer on 20 December, asserting that the release of Israeli hostages would not be considered until a ceasefire was put into place first. This was rejected by Israel the following day.

In January 2024, CNN reported that Israel had proposed allowing senior Hamas leaders to leave Gaza as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Agreement

On 22 November, an agreement was reached that was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. after weeks of indirect negotiations. The deal provided for a four-day pause in fighting, the release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The ceasefire agreement allowed up to 200 trucks of aid to enter Gaza daily. All Israelis and Palestinians freed were to be women and children. According to Hamas, the deal also involved Israel halting all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintaining a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window over northern Gaza.

Egyptian state media and a senior Israeli official announced that the ceasefire will enter into effect on the morning of 23 November. However, the ceasefire actually began a day later on 24 November. The Israeli government said that the ceasefire would be extended by one day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas, but insisted that fighting would resume once the truce is over.

During the ceasefire, Hamas declared that the Red Cross is not allowed to visit the remaining hostages in Gaza. This continued the prevention of Red Cross visits that started at the beginning of the hostage crisis, on 7 October 2023. But a term of the agreement was that Red Cross officials would be able to visit the hostages still held captive in Gaza by the end of the fourth day of the ceasefire.

Exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners

The most important part of the ceasefire agreement concerned the exchange of hostages for prisoners. Extensions of the ceasefire are contingent on hostages being released in small batches every 24 hours.

On 24 November 2023, the Israeli government confirmed that 13 Israeli hostages were released. Srettha Thavisin, the Prime Minister of Thailand, additionally confirmed on social media that 12 Thai hostages were released. Later in the day it was reported that of the 24 hostages initially released, the number included 13 Israeli citizens (including several dual citizens), 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen, with the Qatari Foreign Ministry confirming that the Thai and Filipino hostages were released outside of the truce agreement. The hostages were all reported to be in good health. As of 28 November 50 Israeli hostages have been released, alongside 19 other captives of other nationalities. Few of the released hostages have spoken of their experiences, but those who have recounted being kept in crowded spaces with little electricity, no mattresses, and sparse food available, with varying amounts distributed among the hostages; the family of one released hostage additionally claimed he had been forced to watch "horror videos" of the initial attacks.

The hostages were released in exchange for the release of 150 women and children from Israeli prisons over the course of the ceasefire. It was reported on 28 November that about 180 prisoners, mostly women and teenagers, were released after having been chosen from a list of 300 detained Palestinians. An analysis by NBC News of the list about 20% were convicted of a crime, while the roughly 80% of the list were not convicted of any crimes and had either not been prosecuted or had been detained under administrative detention. Among the Palestinians released on 30 November, was the prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi.

The released prisoners described mistreatment and a lack of food and clean water in Israeli prisons, with one released prisoner stating, "we've been tortured." The released Palestinian captives were warned in a statement from Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir not to celebrate their release, or they would be returned to prison, and they could face a fine of 70,000 shekels or about $18,000 if they celebrated publicly or spoke to media. One released teenager was told by Israeli officials that he was "not allowed to leave ishouse, raise any signs or banners" and that if any of the rules were broken he could be re-arrested; additionally, leading up to his release, his family's home had been searched several times. The Palestinian Prisoners Society stated more Palestinians had been arrested than released since the start of the ceasefire.

Incidents during ceasefire

Due to the continued focus of the Israeli military, many Palestinians had fled northern Gaza, with the Israeli government issuing warnings against returning as well as dropping leaflets into southern Gaza warning against returning. However, many hundreds of Palestinians began to trek back north after the ceasefire was announced on 24 November. In the opening hours of the ceasefire, Al Jazeera English reported that the IDF opened fire on Palestinians returning to Gaza City. Reportedly two were killed.

Both sides have blamed each other for violating the cease fire agreement, shortly after it began. About two weeks following the ceasefire's end, a senior Israeli officer said that Hamas broke the ceasefire 15 minutes after it began with a series of attacks by dozens of fighters against Israeli positions in the town of Salatin, near Jabaliya, which stopped after Israeli troops repulsed them and killed about 20 Hamas fighters. Israel accused Hamas of launching rockets into Israel about 15 minutes after the start of the pause, and claimed that it had not retaliated. The Gaza Health Ministry said that two people were killed and about thirty injured after Israeli soldiers had opened fire on Palestinians in the early morning. '' Sky News'' reported on 24 November that Israeli sniper fire injured members of a group of civilians trying to cross from the North to the South of Gaza on the first day of the ceasefire.

On 28 November, allegations of breaking the ceasefire were again raised by both sides. The IDF claimed that Hamas had detonated explosive devices near IDF troops, reportedly injuring several IDF soldiers with shots additionally fired upon them from Hamas militants. Hamas raised claims that the IDF's actions had raised friction in norther Gaza, with Israeli fighter jets flown over the Strip.

As of 29 November 2023, Hamas has not allowed Red Cross officials to visit hostages still being held in Gaza. This decision is a violation of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas that stipulated Red Cross officials would be able to visit the hostages still held captive in Gaza by the end of the fourth day of the ceasefire. An Israeli sniper shot and injured men in Gaza. The United Nations stated at least two Palestinians in Gaza were killed by Israeli fire. On 30 November Hamas claimed responsibility to shooting Israelis at a bus stop in Jerusalem.

Reactions

The Israeli Prime Ministers Office released a statement on the release of the first group of hostages on 24 November, stating that the government "embraces our citizens returning home" and that they were "committed to the return of all hostages and missing persons." Israel President Isaac Herzog, also commented on the release along with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who all welcomed back the hostages and indicated their work would not be complete until every hostage had been released.

A physician who has been working with those released from being hostages remarked on the resilience of many of those released, but cautioned the long process of restoring those released sense of trust and control while living in Israel.

From families of hostages

Gil Dickman, the cousin of a hostage named Carmel, told The Independent that "if this deal opens the door to the next deal," then more hostages will be released, adding "the problem is whether it’s going to fall apart in between the days." Another hostages parent lamented over her jealousy that the families of those released hostages were able to hug and see their released loved ones.

Many family members also referenced those still held captive, with a brother of one of the return children stating while they were happy, there were still other hostages and they needed to keep up the struggle until everyone was returned. Another who had a relative returned but another is still held captive, stated that they were still missing parts of their heart. Relatives of an American-Israeli girl who was orphaned in the 7 October attacks celebrated her release stating, "there are no words to express our relief and gratitude" on her home coming.

Palestinians

Palestinian residents had mixed reactions. Some told ''The New York Times'' that it was "a little bit of relief" while many feared it would not end the war. One view was that four days was not enough time to pull bodies from the rubble or search for missing people. In the West Bank, thousands reportedly gathered around the Israeli military's Ofer Prison awaiting the release of the Palestinian prisoners, while waving Palestinian flags. Israeli police reportedly fired tear gas into the crowd in an effort to disperse it. Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Palestinians were banned from celebrating their release, because "Expressions of joy are equivalent to backing terrorism, victory celebrations give backing to those human scum, for those Nazis." In the Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank, a Palestinian stated that while the cease fire is a good pause from the bombardment it is not a solution, calling the Israeli military actions a massacre. Some feared the return of airstrikes "at any minute."

Bisan Owda, who had been documenting the conflict on social media, criticized the ceasefire as not guaranteeing the end of Israel's military operations in Gaza, "not enough to pull the dead bodies from under the rubble and bury them," and freelance journalist Hind Khoudary said the ceasefire was "meaningless" without being able to return to Gaza.

International

The deal was welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden and by the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. The prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani expressed hope that the ceasefire would become permanent and the deal was applauded by Arab foreign ministers, who called for significant increase in aid to Gaza and an extended truce. ''Politico'' reported that some in the Biden administration was concerned that a ceasefire would give journalists greater access to Gaza and allow them to report on destruction there, turning public opinion against Israel. During the ceasefire, U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said that any future military operation by Israel should include plans to minimize further casualties of Palestinian civilians.

On 22 November, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the four-day ceasefire and expressed hope that it would bolster efforts to achieve an "outright end to the current conflict." Joel Weiller, the Director General of Médecins du Monde, stated, "A four-day pause is a band-aid not healthcare. This is not humanitarian access, it's a joke." On 30 November, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that continuing the military actions in Gaza after the truce ends is not acceptable, and that he doubts Israel respects the international humanitarian law. On the same day, 30 November, Jordan's king - Abdullah, urged U.N. aid officials and international groups to pile pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

On 22 December, Scottish Prime Minister Humza Yousaf stated, "When history books tell the story of the devastation of Gaza, future generations will rightly condemn those who opposed an immediate ceasefire."

Breakdown of ceasefire

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has attributed the end of the temporary cease-fire agreement with Israel to Hamas. Kirby stated on "Fox News Sunday" that the U.S. believes eight or nine Americans are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Kirby stated: "Hamas is the reason that the pause ended, because they refused to put on the list additional women and children that we know that they are holding and they're refusing to let go," Kirby said. "We are working literally by the hour to see if we can get this back on track." Kirby further stated that the US is working to reinstate the cease-fire. Despite recognizing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Kirby underscored the need to help Israel eliminate the threat from Hamas.

On December 2, Netanyahu ordered the return of the delegation from Doha, as negotiations reportedly had stalled due to Hamas's refusal to implement agreements that provided for the release of all children and women from a list of hostages. The same day, after the truce had already ended, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the opportunity for a permanent ceasefire was lost due to what he refers to as "Israel's uncompromising approach".

Footnotes

References

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