Meaningless truce: On Netanyahu, the Gaza ceasefire.
Netanyahu is making a mockery of the ceasefire agreement.
When the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 10, 2025, a big question that loomed over all parties was whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accepted the truce under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, would honour his commitments once the hostages were released. Barely three weeks later, Mr. Netanyahu, who had vowed to destroy Hamas, found a convenient pretext to resume strikes. He accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, and claimed that the remains returned by the group were the body parts of a hostage already retrieved. Several hostages are believed to have been buried under the rubble, while Gaza’s officials and Egyptian excavators continue struggling to locate and identify bodies of captives. On Tuesday, Israel said militants fired anti-tank missiles at soldiers in Rafah, southern Gaza, killing one soldier — Hamas has denied any involvement. Mr. Netanyahu ordered retaliatory strikes, killing 104 Palestinians overnight, including 46 children and 20 women. After the assault, Israel announced that the ceasefire was back in effect — but what kind of a ceasefire is Israel observing if it has the freedom to carry out devastating attacks on Palestinian civilians?
While the ceasefire offered a respite to the Palestinians from daily Israeli bombardments and allowed the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the absence of any credible enforcement mechanism makes it extremely fragile. Israeli troops still control roughly 55% of Gaza’s territory. It would be unrealistic to expect that the Palestinians, who were bombed and displaced repeatedly over 24 months, would quietly accept the Israeli military occupation. Hamas has enforced its control in the rest of Gaza. Within Israel, Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies want the war to continue and Gaza ethnically cleansed of Palestinians. Despite the deep mistrust, all sides agreed to the ceasefire largely under U.S. pressure — Hamas needed a reprieve and Israel wanted its hostages back. The next stage of Mr. Trump’s peace plan is even more controversial as it calls for Hamas’s disarmament, which it has not agreed to. If Mr. Trump is serious about the peace push, he must own his plan and build mechanisms that ensure both sides adhere to their commitments. His boastful talk about peace will mean little if he allows Israel to continue to kill Palestinian civilians with impunity, while claiming that the ceasefire remains in place. For any truce to endure, Israeli troops must withdraw from Gaza and a new Palestinian administration should be in charge of the enclave. What Palestinians in Gaza desperately need is assistance for recovery, resettlement and reconstruction — not more bombs.