Gaza's ceasefire holds on paper, but a stalled peace plan leaves Palestinians and Israelis in limbo
The truce that freed all remaining hostages has held since October, but its second phase is frozen — with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other and violence still reported.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Fri, 24 July 2026 · 2 min read
More than nine months after it took effect, the Gaza ceasefire is holding in name — but the peace plan built around it has stalled, leaving Palestinians and Israelis in an uneasy limbo.
The truce, which came into force in October 2025, delivered its central achievements early: the last living hostages held by Hamas were freed, and around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were released, in a phased exchange. A transitional governance body, the Board of Peace — chaired by US President Donald Trump — was endorsed to oversee the enclave's administration.
In its first six-month report, the Board of Peace pointed to the ceasefire, the return of the hostages and increased humanitarian access as significant gains. But it also acknowledged that little progress had been made on the plan's second phase in recent months.
The sticking points run deep. Hamas has rejected proposals to disarm, saying Israel is in breach of its own ceasefire obligations by continuing military operations and maintaining restrictions on humanitarian aid. Israel, for its part, says its strikes target militant threats and accuses Hamas of violations. Analysts say both parties appear to prefer the status quo to the concessions the plan would require.
On the ground, the truce has been far from bloodless. Palestinian sources and rights monitors report that Israeli strikes and gunfire have continued, killing and injuring people since the ceasefire began, with incidents reported near hospitals and shelters. Israel says it acts against specific threats. Independent verification remains difficult given restricted access to the enclave.
Humanitarian conditions remain dire. Aid groups report continued restrictions on the flow of food and supplies at border crossings, even as needs across the devastated territory stay enormous after two years of war.
The diplomatic challenge now is moving from a ceasefire that stopped the heaviest fighting to a durable political settlement — disarmament, reconstruction, governance and security — that neither side has yet shown it is ready to accept.
For the people of Gaza and for Israelis living near it, the practical question is whether the current calm, however imperfect, can be built upon, or whether a frozen process eventually slides back toward open war.