It was supposed to be the end of the war.
A year ago, a hard-won ceasefire agreement promised to silence the guns in Gaza and bring a devastating conflict to a close. Yet, for the families living in the strip, the bombs never truly stopped falling. Instead, Gazans have spent the last twelve months enduring almost daily military strikes, turning a paper truce into a year of ongoing tragedy.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10 last year, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks. These figures come from the Hamas-run health ministry, and the United Nations considers them reliable. The fresh casualties have pushed the total death toll since the start of the war to more than 74,000.
The Deal That Failed to Bring Peace
The ceasefire was originally built on a massive swap. Thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons were released in exchange for the remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza. It was intended to permanently halt the war sparked by the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead in Israel and saw 251 taken hostage.
But the quiet did not last. Day after day, explosions have continued to shake neighborhoods across Gaza. Israel defends the ongoing raids, stating that its forces are targeting Hamas operatives who continue to violate the terms of the truce. For civilians on the ground, however, the technicalities of who is violating what offer little comfort as homes continue to turn to dust.
Reporting From a Closed Conflict
Understanding the true scale of the destruction is a constant challenge for the outside world. Israel continues to block international journalists from entering the Gaza Strip to report freely. Consequently, foreign news organizations must rely on the courage of local Palestinian reporters inside the enclave, who risk their lives daily to document the strikes and send their footage to correspondents stationed in Jerusalem.
A year after the international community celebrated a deal to stop the fighting, the reality on the ground remains unchanged. The ceasefire exists in name only, while the residents of Gaza continue to live under the constant threat of airstrikes.