End of violence? Waffenruhe in the Gaza War - Negotiations are running!

End of violence? Waffenruhe in the Gaza War - Negotiations are running!

In the middle of the continuing battles between Israel and Hamas, Hamas is currently advising with other groups about a possible ceasefire. This development comes after the United States, Egypt and Qatar want to announce a complete decision for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza War after intensive consultations. According to the Kleine Zeitung, Israel has approved the "necessary conditions" for a break, while Hamas checks the proposal both seriously and responsibly.

The proposal for ceasefire stipulates that ten living hostages and 18 corpses are released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. According to reports, there are currently around 50 people kidnapped from Israel in the Gaza Strip, with at least 20 still alive. The hostages and corpses should be released over the course of five groups over a period of 60 days.

The background of the fights

The current conflicts originated in a attack by Hamas and other Islamist terrorist organizations on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were dragged to Gaza as hostages. According to the health authorities in Gaza, over 56,000 Palestinians have already died in recent months.

On January 15, 2025, the conflict parties agreed on a ceasefire that came into force on January 19 and was initially valid for 42 days. This agreement included a complete cessation of the fights and provided for a stop of the military activities on the part of both sides. In the first phase, Israeli armed forces were to be deducted from heavily populated areas in the Gaza Strip, whereby Palestinians who had fled to the south could return.

The role of humanitarian aid

Despite the original agreements, Israel temporarily stopped the admission of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. This step is a reaction to Hamas's refusal to accept a US plan for ceasefire. Tagesschau reports that this import stop could have dramatic consequences for the approximately two million inhabitants. Israel has announced that no ceasefire can be made possible without the release of the hostages, which further exhits the Situation.

Egypt has sharply condemned the stop of the aid deliveries and described it as a violation of humanitarian international law. Meanwhile, Hamas described the decision as "unscrupulous extortion" and as a coup against the ceasefire agreement. The first phase of the ceasefire found an abrupt end without an agreement on its sequel, which again fueled the tensions between the conflict parties.

The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip is unsafe, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of the use of military means if there is no agreement. At the same time, both the American President Joe Biden and the newly elected President Donald Trump complain as success and want to promote the hard -working humanitarian support for the region.