Gaza Ceasefire Holds—Barely—as Violence and Accusations Threaten Fragile Truce

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by the United States in early October 2025, remains technically in effect—but only just. While the deal marked a major diplomatic breakthrough after two years of devastating conflict, recent events have exposed deep fractures in its implementation. Sporadic violence, unreturned hostages, and accusations of ceasefire violations have cast doubt on the truce’s durability.

President Donald Trump confirmed on October 19 that the ceasefire is “still in effect,” despite reports of Israeli strikes in Rafah and shootings of unarmed Palestinians The Economic Times. The ceasefire’s first phase included the release of all living Israeli hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners govfacts.org. While those exchanges were largely successful, the return of deceased hostages has stalled—only four of the 28 expected bodies have been repatriated, prompting outrage from Israeli families and officials The Shillong Times. Hamas has been accused of breaching the agreement, while Israel faces criticism for retaliatory actions that have killed nearly 100 Palestinians since the truce began Aljazeera.

International observers, including UN envoy Ramiz Alakbarov, have called the ceasefire “a momentous but precarious juncture,” warning that without sustained aid and diplomatic pressure, the region could slide back into full-scale war UN News. Talks are underway to expand the ceasefire into a broader peace framework, with figures like Tony Blair and Jonathan Powell drawing lessons from Northern Ireland’s peace process Yahoo News Singapore.

For now, the ceasefire remains a tense balancing act—one that could collapse under the weight of mistrust, grief, and unresolved demands. The world watches closely, hoping that this fragile pause might still evolve into lasting peace.