There is now a cease fire in Gaza, Palestine but the destruction, carnage and memories of genocide remain. Yes, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu consented to a truce in exchange for the release of the hostages. Hamas abducted on the seventh of October. But the question remains, where, to go from here? It can no longer be business as usual. A new road needs to be paved for stability and peace. The reason why Hamas took the hostages from a music concert captive on the 7 of October was to have leverage to negotiate with the Israeli authorities for the release of thousands of Palestinian civilians as well as militants and fighters languishing in Israeli jails under administrative detention.
The agreement for the cease fire remains very bittersweet. The actions of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers during the war and subsequent genocide leaves much to be desired. This desire for standards extends to the IDF’s Chain of Command and the Israeli political leadership. Some Israeli soldiers have sort to escape the justice by fleeing abroad. Yuval Vagdani is one such example, he managed to escape justice and extradition when he fled to Brazil.
Vagdani was accused by a Palestinian advocacy legal group, the Hind Rajab Foundation, of carrying out well-documented crimes in Gaza. He is not the only Israeli soldier being pursued for similar crimes. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), more than 50 Israeli soldiers are being pursued in countries ranging from South Africa to Sri Lanka to Sweden. In one case, the Hind Rajab Foundation filed a complaint in a Swedish court against Boaz Ben David, an Israeli sniper from the 932 Battalion of the Israeli Nahal Brigade. He is also accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.
The Nahal Brigade has been at the heart of numerous war crimes in Gaza. Established in 1982, the brigade is notorious for its unhinged violence against occupied Palestinians. Their role in the latest genocidal atrocities in the Strip has far exceeded their own dark legacy.
Israeli soldiers are now caught in a legal quagmire. They have acted with impunity and no fear of being held accountable for actions. The fact that they freely advertised their atrocities on social media adds a bitter spoonful to their arrogance and audacity. Now that the Israeli genocide has been brought to a halt these soldiers and Israeli leaders including Netanyahu and IDF generals could face investigations and prosecutions into actions of genocide they committed. The fact that various nations including South Africa and Sweden are pursuing charges against the IDF soldiers deployed in Gaza shows the tide is turning slowly. Against the political leadership in Tel Aviv.
The Hind Rajab Foundation was named for a five-year-old Palestinian girl murdered alongside the rest of her family. In Gaza by IDF forces in January 2024. The new road to be paved for peace and stability needs to be built on justice.
The current cease fire in place has been welcomed by the people of Gaza. There is a mixture of emotions across the spectrum of Palestinians.
After a US official and a source close to the negotiations first revealed the agreement, Israel cautioned that several points “remain unresolved” that it hoped would be addressed. In Gaza City, 27-year-old Abdul Karim said: “I feel joy despite everything we’ve lost.” “I can’t believe I will finally see my wife and two children again,” he added. “They left for the south almost a year ago. I hope they allow the displaced to return quickly.” Still wearing his scrubs, doctor Fadel Naeem told Agence France-Presse he had mixed feelings – both “sadness for those we lost,” and “indescribable joy for the end of this massacre.” In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, some residents handed out sweets and hugged each other in the main square, though no large crowds gathered Wednesday night. Omar Assaf, a Ramallah resident, told Agence France-Presse from Al-Manara Square that he saw the deal as a victory for Palestinians.
“After 15 months of destruction, killing, genocide and unprecedented crimes, the resistance stands tall, raising its head, and raising the head of the entire Palestinian people,” he told Agence France-Presse.
For now the people of Gaza and the West Bank will feel a plethora of emotions over the truce. There will be much grief due to the strife experienced as well as relief at the end of the destruction that has occurred. Now amid this variety of feelings, the question of what comes next? Will come up. The Israelis themselves have admitted that several points in the negotiations “remain unresolved”. What were those points and who will be responsible for administering Gaza now that there is a ceasefire in place? The Israelis would not be an acceptable option for anyone in the Gaza territory. However, their soldiers remain in control of a significant part of the coastal strip. The Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas wants to have a say in the matter. But it is likely that Tel Aviv could cut them off.
It is not going to be an easy task for rebuilding. The best part concerning the cease fire is the Israeli regime has ended firing missiles into Gaza. The ordinary Palestinian people will demand their rights and justice following this. However even Hamas has its role to answer for in the war. Its going to be an intense negotiation between the Palestinians, Israelis, Americans, the Arab states and other regional powers to see what alternative can be accomplished.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
