On 19 January 2025, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect. While much uncertainty remains, the international community, including aid organisations like Islamic Relief, welcomed the news as a rare moment of hope amid almost 500 days of relentless bombardment of Gaza.
Here, we explain what the ceasefire involves and what it could mean for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
A ceasefire is an agreement to pause acts of violence by military and/or other armed forces and groups in a conflict. Ceasefires usually have a series of conditions attached and last for a sustained period of time.
Ceasefires can be a first step in de-escalating a conflict and can be employed for humanitarian purposes such as bringing more aid into a conflict zone or allowing civilians to escape to safety.
A ceasefire is not the same as an armistice, which is a formal agreement to permanently end all military operations in a conflict. Armistices do not establish peace but rather end fighting so that involved parties can commit to resolving their differences through negotiations.
The ceasefire was announced by Qatari officials on Wednesday, 15 January 2025, and came into effect on Sunday, 19 January, at 11:15am local time.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States are mediators in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which have been ongoing for months. Islamic Relief and many other organisations have been calling for a ceasefire and there has been huge and sustained public pressure, but little apparent progress towards achieving 1 before January 2025.
Prior to the ceasefire, a four-day truce had been agreed in November 2023. The truce was later extended to seven days before fighting resumed. Like ceasefires, truces are pauses in hostilities. However, they are non-binding and usually last only a short time.
The ceasefire is expected to follow three stages, with negotiations continuing throughout the first stage to agree on the details of the second and third stage terms.
The first stage is now underway. It will last six weeks and aid agencies, including Islamic Relief, hope to see a huge increase in humanitarian access to Gaza. Some hostages are being released in exchange for imprisoned Palestinians. Israel will gradually withdraw its forces to its border with Gaza. Displaced families in Gaza will be able to return to their neighbourhoods and hundreds of aid trucks will be able to enter the territory daily, according to the terms of the ceasefire.
The second stage will reportedly include a permanent end to the fighting and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The remaining hostages will be released in exchange for prisoners held by Israel.
The third stage concerns the rebuilding of Gaza – a process that will likely take years, if not decades. Islamic Relief, which has been delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza throughout decades of siege and military escalation, is determined to do all we can to support Palestinians as they begin the painful and painstaking process of rebuilding shattered communities.
Yes. Relations between the two sides are incredibly strained and previous ceasefires during past escalations have broken down.
Between the announcement of the ceasefire and its start, more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza were killed by Israeli strikes, leaving many onlookers wondering if the ceasefire would come into force at all. Any act of violence from either side risks completely derailing negotiations.
Many sticking points will need to be ironed out to see the second and third stages of the ceasefire successfully implemented. For example, Israel has refused to release some of the prisoners requested, and there is disagreement over who should govern Gaza after the ceasefire. There is also sizeable opposition to the ceasefire among Israeli politicians, including members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. Israel has also refused to rule out a resumption of attacks after its civilian hostages have been returned. Previous Israeli commitments to allow more aid into Gaza have not been upheld.
The ceasefire agreement does not apply to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and an increase in Israeli attacks there could also jeopardise the deal.
Despite the challenges, both sides have already made compromises to agree to the current ceasefire, and international pressure for an end to the conflict is likely to remain intense during the first stage of the ceasefire.
Since the morning of Sunday, 19 January, displaced Palestinians have begun returning to their neighbourhoods, even though many know their homes are no longer standing. While some are recovering what belongings they can and returning to shelters, others are setting up tents on the sites of their former homes. Some family members have been able to reunite after months of sheltering separately.
Local police officers are managing the movement of people, and authorities and international organisations are working to reopen roads and clear waste and rubble across the city. Civil defence workers are continuing attempts to recover bodies from the wreckage.
Trucks have begun entering Gaza in larger numbers since the ceasefire came into effect, with hundreds reportedly entering on the first full day. The ceasefire commits to a target of 600 trucks a day.
This is similar to the number that was entering Gaza before the current crisis. However, in recent months, the number of aid trucks entering the enclave has been much lower. In the month before the ceasefire, Israel allowed an average of just 72 trucks per day – a small drop in an ocean of need.
Restrictions on the types of goods that can enter Gaza remain in place and are likely to impact the delivery of some desperately needed items. Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of the Strip.
This has huge implications for humanitarian efforts. For example, thousands of essential items are restricted from entering Gaza because Israel considers them to have a ‘dual use’, meaning it can be used for both civilian and military purposes. Things like fuel, water filters, solar pumps and surgical scissors have been refused entry on these grounds.
Famine remains a real and growing threat in besieged Gaza. Islamic Relief is scaling up our response to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. We hope the ceasefire agreement will enable us and other aid agencies to massively increase our assistance to Palestinian families whose lives have been upended in 500 nightmarish days.
We note that previous promises to allow more aid into Gaza over the past 15 months have been immediately broken and urge that all restrictions on humanitarian access must now be lifted. The international community must hold Israel to account if aid continues to be blocked.
As of January 2025 all of Islamic Relief’s programming in Gaza is made up of emergency projects.
Throughout the crisis, we have supported Palestinians in Gaza by delivering hot meals, food parcels, water and hygiene kits; expanding our Orphan Sponsorship Programme; and addressing mental and physical healthcare needs wherever possible. This work will expand in the coming days and weeks.
Prior to the ceasefire, Palestinian families trapped in Gaza suffered almost 500 days of bombardment while pleas for a ceasefire went ignored. The Gaza Strip has been left in ruins, while more than 46,000 people in Gaza have been killed – including around 18,000 children – and many more left with life-changing injuries. Israeli bombs destroyed hospitals, schools and shelters, while families were forced to flee their homes time and time again. Starvation and malnutrition are rife, with fears of famine in northern Gaza.
The ceasefire coming into force is not an immediate resolution to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, rather the first step towards enabling Palestinians to recover and, eventually, rebuild.
It is vital that this ceasefire agreement is fully and immediately implemented.
This agreement must lead to a lasting peace, with justice and accountability for the horrors perpetrated against civilians. All people must be able to live in safety and dignity, and have their fundamental human rights upheld.
Islamic Relief believes this will not be possible until the root causes of the crisis are addressed and there is an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.