On October 17, local time, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued a statement calling on the mediators to continue to perform their duties and oversee the implementation of the remaining provisions of the ceasefire agreement.
This is the latest statement by Hamas on the implementation of the agreement since the ceasefire in Gaza came into force on October 10, reflecting the challenges facing the implementation of the concerned ceasefire.
Ceasefire agreement is difficult to sign
On October 13, President Trump of the United States, President Sisi of Egypt, President Erdogan of Turkey and Qatar Emirat Tamim at the "peace summit" held in Sham Sheikh, Egypt, jointly signed an agreement on the ceasefire in Gaza to end the war.
The agreement was jointly chaired by Egypt and the United States, with the participation of leaders from several countries and international organizations.
The signing ceremony marks the crucial step taken by the international community to end the two-year conflict in Pakistan.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Presidential Office, the summit emphasized the need for the international community to cooperate to provide all necessary means to ensure the provisions of the ceasefire agreement are implemented.
Content and implementation of the agreement
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement came into effect at 12 o'clock on October 10th. The Israel Defense Forces announced that it had completed its withdrawal and deployment in accordance with the agreement to prepare for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the return of detainees.
The agreement includes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, the exchange of detained personnel between Israel and Hamas and the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
Israeli army spokesman Effie Devlin said that the Israeli army had withdrawn to the "withdrawal line"(the "yellow line") agreed in the ceasefire agreement, but he stressed that the "yellow line" still penetrated deep into the Gaza Strip, ensuring that the Israeli army has the combat capability to defend and control the Gaza Strip.
In the exchange of detainees after the agreement came into effect, Hamas released a total of 20 Israeli detainees in two batches on October 13 and handed over the remains of 4 detainees; Israel has released 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Hamas's core demands
In its statement on October 17, Hamas called on the mediator to continue to perform its responsibilities and monitor the implementation of the remaining terms of the agreement.
The statement emphasizes several key areas: the delivery of humanitarian aid supplies in the necessary quantities, the provision of all necessary needs for the residents of the Gaza Strip, the opening of the port of Rafah, the urgent start of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, in particular the reconstruction of houses, hospitals, schools, services and other infrastructures.
Hamas also stressed that it is necessary to immediately start to form a committee composed of independent people recognized by all parties, start the management of the Gaza Strip, and complete the process of withdrawing the Israel Defense Forces to the agreed place.
These demands reflect Hamas's concern about the future governance and humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza: The road to reconstruction from the ruins
The UN Development Programme estimates that after two years of war, the full reconstruction and restoration of Gaza will require at least $70 billion, of which about $20 billion will be invested in the first three years.
UNDP Special Representative for Palestine Jacob Cyril said Gaza was one of the most devastated places on the planet. The destruction rate of the entire Gaza Strip has reached 84 percent, and the destruction rate of specific areas such as the Gaza Strip has reached 92 percent.
The reconstruction of Gaza could take decades to complete.
The latest Gaza Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment Report released by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank estimates that the total damage caused by the war is approximately US$70 billion.
Severe humanitarian crisis
Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains severe. UN humanitarian officials once again call on Israeli authorities to fully open the Gaza Strip.
While Israel has agreed to allow 190,000 tons of rescue supplies to enter Gaza, the UN and its partners stressed that this amount is far from sufficient to meet demand.
Aid agencies report that more than 300,000 Palestinians have moved northward back to Gaza City since the ceasefire.
UNICEF aid worker Ingram warned from Gaza: "Families in Gaza are short of everything right now. We need hundreds of trucks entering Gaza every day to deliver on aid promises."
The prospects for peace remain unclear
International public opinion believes that reaching the first-phase agreement is a positive development, but the prospects for peace remain unclear.
The analysis points out that the real challenge lies in the next stage of peace agreement. If the Trump administration's "20-point plan" is followed, the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas will be the focus of the next stage of negotiations.
Hamas insists on ending the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state as a prerequisite for a complete disarmament, while Netanyahu’s administration currently agrees only to the first phase of the agreement and has no explicit commitment to a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
And after the Israeli withdrawal to the specified areas, continued to shoot Palestinians, the previous days Israel killed four Palestinians, and on the 17th Israel attacked a car carrying refugees, causing several refugees to die and be wounded.
Palestinian analyst Hosam Dajjani said Gaza needs not only a ceasefire, but also the will of all parties and the international community to ensure that the tragedy does not repeat itself. Especially if Israel continues to kill people, the war will never a ceasefire.
Gaza, over the ruins, is looking for a way to rebirth in a fragile ceasefire.