Timeline: The path to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal in Gaza
A ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas has gone into effect in Gaza, allowing more than 2 million Palestinians in the enclave some respite after 15 months of devastating war.
The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement will see some of the Israeli captives held in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a gradual Israeli withdrawal to Gaza’s borders with Israel, and a huge increase in access for humanitarian aid.
It is hoped that the first phase will pave the way for the second and third phases, which will lead to the release of all captives and a permanent ceasefire.
The path to this latest agreement has been long and full of false starts. Here’s a look at the journey to this deal since the war started on October 7, 2023.
The first truce
After more than six weeks of fighting that destroyed extensive areas of Gaza and killed thousands, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce on November 21, 2023.
In the weeks since Hamas fighters had attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed 1,200 people, the Israeli army had relentlessly bombarded Gaza with air and ground attacks, killing more than 14,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
After weeks of hectic negotiations led by Qatar and multiple instances when a deal appeared on the horizon before falling apart, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting of his cabinet, which then voted to approve a truce deal.
About 250 captives were taken by Hamas and other Palestinian groups following the attack on October 7. As part of the November deal, 110 were freed.
Israel released more than 240 Palestinian prisoners, all of them women and children.
The truce was extended to seven days
International pressure
As Israel’s war on Gaza intensified, protests broke out around the globe.
Notably, university students in the United States held campus protests and sit-ins that grabbed global attention.
As the war continued, a few European nations officially recognised the state of Palestine, including Ireland, Spain and Norway.
South Africa also filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which was later backed by at least 14 countries, including Belgium, Colombia, Turkiye, Egypt, Chile and Spain.
Negotiations continue
In May 2024, as the war on Gaza entered its eighth month, hopes that a ceasefire might be reached were amplified as talks progressed.
, but Netanyahu made it clear that Israel was not ending its war on Gaza and that the halt in fighting was only temporary. Israel resumed its war on Gaza on December 1, 2023.
