Please note: all citations for sources are listed at the conclusion of this article.
On January 15, 2025, terms were reached for a ceasefire in Gaza between the nation of Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. 4 days later on January 15, the first of the Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attack were released as the ceasefire officially began after 15 months of fighting.
The 3 females released are the beginning of Phase 1 of the Israeli-Hamas agreement; the first of three phases. Phase one spans 6 weeks while 33 Israeli hostages are exchanged for more than 1,900 Palestinian security prisoners. The plan for the release goes as follows: 3 hostages on day 1, 4 more on day 7, and an additional 3 people every 7 days until the final week where the last 14 of the 33 planned will be freed.
Within Phase 1 of the agreement, along with the hostage release, Israel will withdraw from certain areas in Gaza, allow for 600 humanitarian aid trucks to cross into its borders daily, and maintain control of key borders.
The release, along with the ceasefire, was supposed to end at 8:30 am local time (6:30 am GMT). However, Hamas failed to provide names which led to Israel continuing their air strikes on Gaza. The names and hostages were announced almost 3 hours later at 11:19 am local time. During increased war time 19 Palestinians were kills and another 36 were wounded.
On Saturday, January 25, the next 4 hostages were successfully released. On February 1, three more Israelis are slated for release. Status given by Hamas on the condition of the remaining captives suggest 8 are dead.
For each hostage released, Israel is delivering 30 Palestinian prisoners for each civilian and 50 Palestinian prisoners for each of the five IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers. Many of these detainees did not participate in the October 7 attack but instead detained to remove Hamas elements or influence from Gaza. These prisoners include members of Fatah (Palestinian political party that supports the Two-State Solution with Israel) or the terrorist groups Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PJI); many serving life sentences for murder and terrorist attacks.
Phase 2 consists of negotiating the release of the remaining 65 hostages, mostly male Israeli soldiers, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. The third phase will focus on a reconstruction plan supervised by international entities.
Background
Israel and Palestine have had tension for centuries; both claiming the same area of land due to ancestry and religious holiness. The land was a part of the Ottoman Empire until World War I where it fell into Britain’s control. It was under their mandate until May 14,1948 when Israel was established as a nation to house the many homeless Jews as a result of World War II. The United Nations mandate set aside land for Palestinians, but they refused to accept believing that the UN was using the same colonization methods as the Ottoman and British to hold power over them. There was a war with the surrounding Arabic countries for about a year when the UN brokered peace. Israel’s statehood was ensured while the Arabic nations oversaw Gaza and the West Bank. This caused the Nakba (Arabic for catastrophe) whereby establishing Israel as state governed by a Jewish majority led to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by forcible displacing them from their homes. This is a type of apartheid- the idea of separating people based on racial or ethnic criteria. Both the International and Israeli human rights groups support the assessment that this wrong.
Since then, there have been a couple short wars and numerous terrorist attacks. While Israel has peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan (1979 and 1994 respectfully), most Palestinians will not be content until they have independence. This is emphasized by the First Intifada and Second Intifada (December 1987-early 1990s and September 2000-2005). These events were characterized by widespread Palestinian uprising comprised of protests, civil disobedience, demonstrations, and acts of violence and terrorism against Israel. The Second Intifada, referred to as al-Aqsa Intifada, caused close to one thousand Israeli casualties.
It also doesn’t help that Israel keeps encroaching on Palestinian land with Jewish settlement camps. The government had promised to close all settlements-which are against international law- in 2005, yet in 2024 there were still over 200 with some 7 hundred thousand Jews living in them. Their differing economic situations are also a contributing factor in the situation. Israel is a power leader in the international economy with an unemployment rate of 3.5% in 2023 in contrast to the heavily impoverished Gaza each a report 6 months before the October Attack revealing an unemployment rate of 50% in 2023.
The catalyst that started the Israel-Hamas conflict was the attacks on October 7, 2023. It began with an air strike raining down on Israel from Gaza at 6:30 am local time. Then an estimated 3 thousand Hamas terrorists crossed the border according to Israeli military officials. The result was the death of 12 thousand Israelis- many who were tortured, mutilated, and raped- and more than 200 being kidnapped and held hostage in Gaza. It is being called “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.”
Several of these hostages were taken from the Supernova Music Festival. Held in Re’im on October 6 and 7, 2023 to mark the end of the Jewish holiday Sukkot which commemorates the liberation of Hebrew slaves from ancient Egypt. Billed as “a journey of unity and love,” more than 3 thousand were in attendance. Minutes after the missiles exploded on the festivalgoers, spraying shrapnel, dozens of Hamas soldiers ruthlessly shot the crowd. 364 people were murdered according to Israeli media with another 40 captured. This event is now referred to as the Music Festival Massacre.
Hamas targeted other places. Cities including Tel Aviv, Rehovot, Gedera, and Ashkelon; as well as kibbutzim (intentional communities traditionally based on agriculture). These places were close to the Gazan border which militants crossed to shoot and kidnap unarmed civilians. One such location was Kibbutz Be’eri, which is about 3 miles from the border. 80 residents- about 10% of the community- were murdered with an additional 30 taken hostage; some 40 homes were also destroyed.
That same day, Netanyahu declared state of war against Hamas stating, “All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding, and operating in… we will turn them into rubble.”
Hamas is an acronym of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement). Formed in 1987, it was founded to oppose the dominant political power, Fatah who embraced having peace with Israel. Branded as the party of resistance against Israel, the party undermined the peace process with a series of attacks and suicide bombings. While designated as a terrorist organization in 1997 by the US State Department, it has been the de facto leader of Gaza since 2006, when the last election was held with the party winning but a bare plurality of votes. Since their rise of power, Hamas have refused to negotiate forming an independent Palestinian nation, especially with the Two-State Solution.
The Two-State Solution is a remedy to the issue between Israel and Palestine where both racial groups have their own country within the shared land. The Israeli political party Likud, who have been in majority in the government since 1983, is also against this proposition. Netanyahu, who is a member of this party, once said, “I think that anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state today and evacuate lands, is giving attack grounds to radical Islam against the State of Israel.”
Hamas’s rally cry is ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free;’ referring that the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. This is where Israel is located, thus proclaiming that the Palestinians will kick out the Jews and make the land solely for their country. “Hamas has never wavered from being more interested in destroying the Jewish state than in building Palestinian state,” explained Thomas L. Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. This is reinforced by the senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad saying, “we must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice and three times.”
Current Conflict
Within the first few hours after declaring war, Israel hit more than 800 targets in Gaza. In the first 6 days, 6 thousand missiles were launched. Gaza is a land mass that is only 25 miles long and at most 7 miles wide. The destruction was widespread; 11,000 Palestinians were killed which includes at least 4,000 children. (50% of the population of Gaza is children).
The IDF advised the evacuation of more than 1 million citizens of Gaza City- where Hamas was thought to be based- to head South. This would not be a guarantee for the refugees as on September 10, 2024, Israeli strikes killed dozens sheltering in the al-Mawasi camp which was inside the Israeli-designated ‘humanitarian zone.’
Israel also cut off nearly all water, food, electricity, and fuel to Gaza. After the first week, 250 thousand Gazan residents were displaced with no resources, now that number is over 1 million. In December 2023, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification released a report stating that 100% of the population of Gaza (around 2.2 million) were suffering from malnutrition. It wasn’t until 2 weeks after the start of the seize on October 21, 2023, that Israel permitted a limited number of first aid trucks to enter the territory. On March 2, 2024, the US Air Force air dropped 40 thousand meals. Yet even receiving aid wasn’t safe. At least 112 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on February 29, 2024, when they tried to receive humanitarian aid.
Nor are the wounded safe. Before the war, Gaza hosted 36 hospitals. On 3 January 2025, the WHO reported that 16 of these hospitals were partially operational with the remaining 20 closed. The WHO’s representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, said there were 1,822 hospital beds available for the region. He described this level of capacity as “far below what is needed to address the overwhelming health crisis” in Gaza. With the blockage necessary supplies needed to treat the injured are limited or out of reach entirely.
Most of the damage and deaths have been more the Palestinian side of the border. Since early 2024, the IDF officials reported that Hamas has launched some 12 thousand missiles toward Israel. However, most of these missiles did not reach their target due to Israel’s Iron Dome. This is the nation’s defense system, able to identify enemy missiles fired and retaliate by launching its own missiles to intercept allowing for a decrease in both damage and causalities on Israeli soil.
Gaza has nothing close to an Iron Dome. It’s not uncommon for entire families to die during air strikes. As an IDF spokesperson said, “emphasis is on damage, not accuracy.” The fact that 80% of Gaza’s buildings are destroyed proves this fact. Hamas has no care for its citizens. “Will we have to pay a price?” asked Hamad. “Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.”
Disregard for the Gazans is a trend. Human rights groups have said that Hamas forces have carried out a brutal campaign of “abductions, torture, and unlawful killings” against Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel and have “attacked members and supporters of Fatah.” 68% of Palestinians believe that the right to participate in a peaceful protest was not protected or was protected in a limited capacity due to Hamas’s actions. And majority of the population doesn’t support what Hamas is doing with a poll right before the October 7 attack saying that 73% of Gazans favored a peaceful settlement to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Not every in Israel supports the actions taken by their government either- the most right winged extremist government in the country’s history. Most of the criticism falls on Netanyahu. He has served as the prime minister for over nonconsecutively 17 years. Most blame him for the security relapse that caused the October 7 attack to occur. One poll found that at the time it was collected that 76% of Israelis wanted Netanyahu to resign immediately or after the war. His strict stance against the Two-State Solution and extreme version of safety through strength; both views actively work against the peace negotiations and has him at odds with most Jews. There were 40 weeks of protest that included thousands marching in the streets in opposition to the plans proposed that would end the judiciary and endanger civil rights.
The United States openly supports Israel acting as a diplomatic shield at the UN and by giving Israel $3.8 billion a year in military aid. This money helped Israel create one of the world’s strongest militaries.
On October 13, 2023, this Israeli military crossed into Gaza. The invading force included tanks, armored vehicles, bulldozers, infantry soldiers, and other personnel. At the time of the October 7 attack, the IDF estimated there to be 35-40 thousand Hamas, By February 2024, Israeli military leaders believed half have been killed.
Throughout the course of the war, Israel was able to retrieve some of the hostages taken whether alive or their decreased bodies. One memorable account was in December 2023 where Israeli forces killed 3 of their own hostages after they were able to escape. However, multiple operations were able to successfully rescue the hostages alive.
On August 15, 2024, the Palestinian death count in Gaza rose above 40,000. By January 15, 2025- the day the ceasefire negotiations were agreed upon- the number had climbed to over 46,000 according to Palestinian health authorities.
This war was not only dangerous for the regular civilians but also for those trying to document the events. Journalists are classified as civilians and play an essential role in revealing the true accounts during war. As of January 30, 2025: 167 journalists and social media workers were confirmed dead (159 Palestinian, 2 Israeli, 6 Lebanese), 49 journalists reported injured, 2 journalists reported missing, 75 journalists reported arrested with the CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) investigating an additional 130 cases of potential killings, arrests, and injuries. This makes the Israeli-Hamas War the deadliest period for journalists since the CPJ began gathering data in 1992. International law makes it illegal to target civilians during war; since journalists are civilians, they are protected to this extent. However, this war crime was executed with 11 journalists and 2 media workers being directly targeted by Israeli forces. The CPJ is still researching at least 20 more target killing cases.
Both sides committed morally and criminally wrong. Yet each side fights for righteous ideals. But it can never be achieved with the governments in control, without peaceful cooperation, and without understanding the complex relationships we have with our culture and nation.
Citations:
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Ferris, Layla, and Emmet Lyons. “Israel and Hamas at War: A Timeline of Major Developments in the Year since Oct. 7, 2023.” Cbsnews.com, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-war-timeline-major-events-since-october-7-2023/.
Gunter, Joel. “Dramatic Day Ushers in a Fragile Israel-Hamas Ceasefire, Ending 15 Months of War.” BBC, 19 Jan. 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx25g41d8r8o.
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LastWeekTonight. “S2 E7: Municipal Violations, Israel & Starbucks: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” YouTube, 26 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEwVKqHcUfk. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
LastWeekTonight. “S8 E12: Stand Your Ground & Isreal-Palestine Conflict: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” YouTube, 15 Dec. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GDeVL7jTQA. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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Sherwood, Harriet. “How the Hamas Attack on the Supernova Festival in Israel Unfolded.” The Guardian, 9 Oct. 2023, www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/09/how-the-hamas-attack-on-the-supernova-festival-in-israel-unfolded.
“Who Are the Israeli Hostages Being Released? Full Schedule and Latest Updates.” AJC, 30 Jan. 2025, www.ajc.org/news/who-are-the-israeli-hostages-being-released-full-schedule-and-latest-updates. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.