Ceasefire, but…

Qatar-brokered four-day ceasefire will see 50 Israeli hostages released in lieu for 150 Palestinians

A truce is on the cards in Gaza. But this so-called lull has come at an exorbitant cost: killing of 14,000 Palestinian, and homelessness to more than 2.3 million people, with destruction and mayhem all around. Israel is still unaccounted for its war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as genocide of a community penalising it for its faith. Thus, the Qatar-brokered four-day ceasefire, which will come into force from today, will see 50 Israeli hostages released in lieu for 150 Palestinians being freed from jail, suspension of military onslaught for this timeframe and rescue operations. A much-desired breakthrough though, it is not the solution to the crisis at hand.

The Hamas-Israeli showdown has torpedoed peace for a long time to come. The process of diplomatic outreach that several Arab states were contemplating with Israel is now dumped. Likewise, the ensuing animosity has crippled social harmony on the international stage, and social media trends suggest that anti-Zionist sentiments for the first time are at their peak. Still there is no solution at hand to address the territorial dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, and the simple reason is that the Jewish state is unwilling to trade land for peace. This ceasefire must graduate into a permanent thaw, and silencing of guns in order to pave the way for a long-term strategy of enabling both the warring parties to negotiate perpetual peace.

The million-plus Gazans who were at the receiving end for the last 45 days cannot be pleased through piecemeal measures. Their homes are destroyed, and infrastructure whatsoever in the name of schools, hospitals and mosques are now in ruins. It is a foregone conclusion that Israel has used indiscriminate force, and must be made liable for it. At the same time, there is no reason to cheer for this temporary truce, as blood has flown like water. It is incumbent upon the United Nations and other stakeholders to prevail over Tel Aviv to stop this madness and carnage.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.