Aid organisations Tearfund and Christian Aid have welcomed the news that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire, although each are concerned that a failure to ascertain an enduring peace agreement will simply mean the cycle of violence will resume at a later date.
The ceasefire agreement was brokered by US President Donald Trump and was approved by the Israeli cabinet. Under the deal Israeli Defence Force (IDF) units will pull back to agreed lines and aid will probably be permitted to flow more freely into Gaza.
During the conflict, which has been raging for 2 years, Israel has been accused by aid organisations of using aid as a weapon of war. Huge areas of Gaza have been destroyed, and a few parts of the territory are reported to be in a state of famine.
It is believed over 80,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the overwhelming majority civilians.
Part of the ceasefire deal revolves across the return of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Thousands of Israelis civilians were killed within the terrorist attack, which prompted a severe response from the Israeli government. Israel will even return Palestinian prisoners to Hamas.
Safa Hijazeen, Tearfund’s regional director for the Middle East said, “Tearfund welcomes news of a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, but it surely’s only the start and it should be followed by immediate motion.
“Israel must allow a flood of aid to enter Gaza freely and the hostages should be allowed home. The international community must be sure that each parties are held to the agreement and that the ceasefire turns into an enduring peace.
“For the hundreds of thousands of people that’ve endured relentless bombardment and conflict, a ceasefire must not be only a pause, it must result in lasting peace. It can’t be enough only for people within the region to exist without immediate fear of death; life in all its fullness should be restored.”
These sentiments were echoed by William Bell, Head of Middle East Policy & Advocacy at Christian Aid, who warned, “Returning to the old established order will doom Palestinians and Israelis to more tragedy.”
The current conflict is just the newest in an extended line of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Since 2008 there have been 4 notable military conflicts in Gaza, although essentially the most recent has been by far the bloodiest.
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