The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, entered into force on January 19th, has led to the release of hostages on both sides, initiating concrete peace actions. In the first phase of the ceasefire, 33 Israelis are to be released by Hamas in exchange for approximately 19,000 Palestinian prisoners. Thus far, 583 Palestinian hostages have exchanged for 18 Israeli detainees, and five of the 31 Thai nationals captured on October 7th, 2023 by Hamas have been released.

Most recently, on Saturday, February 1st, during the fourth prisoners’ exchange, Hamas released three Israeli hostages in return for 183 Palestinian prisoners. The Israelis Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, and Ofer Kalderon were released and brought home with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross. This humanitarian intermediary also facilitated the transfer of 183 Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Following this exchange, the Rafah border was reopened, ensuring Palestinians’ access to medical facilities in Egypt.

Among the first to respond, the recently released Palestinian prisoner Nasrallah Muammar stated: “Today we were born again…we left the narrowness of the graves to the spaciousness of the world.” Hamas contradicted this, claiming that the newly freed Palestinian detainees reported experiencing abuse and torture while in Israeli custody and asked for “immediate intervention by the international community, the U.N. and rights groups to stop and hold their perpetrators accountable.” Meanwhile, Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin claimed that “Hamas may be able to make a strong show of their control, but the people of Gaza have witnessed the destruction all around them and hold Hamas responsible, along with Israel of course.”

The 15 months of war brought violence and destruction to Gaza, with a very devastating toll: 46,707 people killed. As emphasized by the United Nations Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, “This unprecedented level of killing, and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.” An analysis by the United Nations Office for Human Rights revealed a high number of innocent deaths: among the civilians killed, 44% were children and 26% were women.

The tragedy and devastation brought by this war seems to have reached an end with the agreement on the proposed armistice. According to this agreement, the first phase of the ceasefire is set to last 42 days and, in addition to the exchange of hostages, it allows for the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, where humanitarian aid will be able to reach devastated areas. This will make it possible to provide assistance to the population, which is now exhausted by the difficult living conditions. The agreement also stipulates that the northern and southern parts of Gaza will be reconnected and that Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor.

The second stage of the ceasefire is expected to begin on March 1st, with the goal of reaching a permanent peace agreement. This stage also envisages a further exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails with Israeli prisoners in the hands of Hamas, as well as the full retreat of the Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. The agreement ultimately establishes a final phase involving the repatriation of the bodies of deceased prisoners and the reconstruction of Gaza. It should be emphasized that the reconstruction of Gaza will take more than 10 years and the United Nations estimates a cost of about $40 billion, due to the destruction of 60% of Gaza’s buildings.

A large portion of the international community hopes that the current ceasefire will stabilize and lead to a lasting peace agreement. In particular, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, along with the European Union and the United States, are committed to supporting the ceasefire and, especially such Middle Eastern countries, will play key roles in negotiations and reconstruction plans to ensure peace and stability.