Israel's Impunity, a Prolongation of Genocide: Gaza Ceasefire Violated Time and Time Again

On February 11th, 2025, amidst an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas released a statement declaring that the hostage exchange will be postponed, citing numerous Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement. Legacy media, such as the New York Times, quickly jumped to report on Hamas' decision, but intentionally left the cause of the postponement vague, and even went as far as to bury the lead. In their reporting, it took the New York Times nine paragraphs until they mentioned the fact that "three Israeli officials and two mediators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said that Hamas' claims were accurate."

How the Genocide has Continued Into the Ceasefire

As per Article II of the 1948 UN convention, "Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part" is a recognized act of genocide. Israel's calculated ceasefire breaches conform to this act, and are a continuation of the Gaza genocide.

The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, is responsible for overseeing the aid that reaches the Gaza strip, and facilitating the travel of Gazans outside of Gaza. COGAT is also responsible for coordinating with international humanitarian organizations to address humanitarian needs. Since October 7th 2023, the already harsh siege on the Gaza strip was tightened to include cutting off essential resources such as food, water, electricity, and medical supplies. While more aid entered the Gaza strip after the ceasefire began on January 19th, 2025, the aid is less than the 600 daily trucks which were agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement. This has resulted in a shortage of clean water supply, shelter, and medical aid well into the ceasefire.
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COGAT has also sadistically rejected and delayed appeals by humanitarian organizations to allow injured and sick Gazans to leave Gaza in order to receive treatment. Two-year-old Habiba Al Askar has awaited Israel's approval in order to travel outside of Gaza to receive critical aid. INARA, for months has been making appeals to COGAT requesting to facilitate Habiba's travel, as Habiba has a rare genetic condition, a vitamin C deficiency, that has led to gangrene engulfing her arms and legs through an infection in her bloodstream. Months of suffering later, Habiba was finally given permission to leave Gaza to receive the necessary treatment, but at the last minute before Habiba was transferred, the Israeli authorities delayed the mission again. When Habiba finally was permitted to leave the Gaza strip and go to Jordan for treatment, it was too late, and she had had to undergo a triple amputation: both her arms and one of her legs could not be saved from the spreading gangrene due to Israel's policies.

​​The Primary Breach

​​According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel was to let in heavy machinery, to clear the rubble left from Israel's destruction, and 60,000 caravans and mobile homes for the now-homeless citizens of Gaza in the first phase of the ceasefire. COGAT bears the responsibility for implementing government policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the policies of the Israeli government have previously and are currently continuing to make the Gaza strip unlivable. As of February 16th, the necessary heavy machinery and the caravans have yet to be let in through the Rafah crossing. Furthermore, an inadequate amount of aid trucks and tents reached Gaza, and a higher number of patients were agreed upon to leave Gaza in order to receive critical medical treatment.

The fact that temporary homes are needed in Gaza for internally displaced civilians was further backed by numerous statements, including a statement made by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). On February 13th, photographic evidence was taken by AFP, showing that heavy machinery and caravans were waiting at the Rafah border, and have not been let in.

Consequences of Ceasefire Violations

The consequences of these ceasefire violations add up to a heavy toll. Primarily, Gaza is filled with unexploded ordnance left behind by the Israel Defense Forces. These ordnance, similarly to the aftermath of every Israeli bombing campaign on Gaza, leave behind dozens of casualties even after the direct bombing has ceased. More than 40 casualties have been recorded due to unexploded ordnance since the ceasefire officially began on January 19th. Casualties have also been reported due to falling structural damage, as the people of Gaza are often left with no alternative other than to go back to and attempt to live in their damaged homes. This delay of allowing mobile homes into the strip forces Gazans into living in unsafe make-shift shelters, unprotected from the collapse of damaged walls and ceilings, and exposed to harsh winter elements like strong winds and rain. This is the first and primary consequence of the ceasefire violations, which directly worsens the physical conditions in the Gaza Strip, thus is an act of genocide as per Article II of the 1948 UN convention.
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Gaza's healthcare services and facilities are struggling to resume at a pace of functionality. After visiting the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza, Doctors Without Borders issued an alarming statement declaring the condition in which the hospital was in. "We were utterly shocked to observe that in Indonesian hospital every medical machine seemed to have been deliberately destroyed; they were smashed to pieces, one by one, to make sure no medical care could be provided anymore." Israeli soldiers have been documented destroying medical equipment in Gaza's hospitals after laying siege to them, further worsening the already harsh conditions they inflicted on Gaza's population. ​

​Ongoing Violations

Amidst international calls for allowing heavy machinery and caravans into Gaza, Israel once again decided to disregard its obligations to the ceasefire. The Head of Gaza's Government Media Office, Salama Maarouf, issued a statement in Arabic reaffirming that no caravans or heavy machinery have entered Gaza as of February 14th - that the necessary ceasefire conditions are still being ignored. Maarouf also noted that the ceasefire is still being violated daily by Israel. This astounding cruelty comes at a time where nearly 1.5 million people in Gaza have been made homeless following Israel's 15 month long genocidal campaign.
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In another ceasefire violation, on February 15th, the Israeli army engaged in drone striking a bulldozer that was attempting to clear the rubble in Central Gaza, injuring two civilians in the process. This attack on the already-limited number of construction equipment in the Gaza Strip is a deliberate attempt to impede the process of reconstructing Gaza.
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The following day, the Israeli Army breached the ceasefire once again through the use of another drone strike, this time killing three of Gaza's policemen in Southern Gaza, while the policemen were attempting to secure the entry of aid in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
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As of February 14th, Gaza's official death toll reached 48,239. Dr. Munir Al Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that this number keeps increasing, not only as more bodies are recovered, but also due to those continuously killed in direct attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces, those succumbing to their injuries, and deaths due to unexploded ordnance. At least 92 Gazans have been killed in direct attacks since the ceasefire officially began on January 19th. As the death toll continues to rise and hazardous conditions are intentionally unamended by Israel, the destruction of Gaza's society has yet to seize, meaning the genocide has not ended. ​

What Gaza Needs

As the ongoing crisis in Gaza is exacerbated due to Israel's repeated violations, the needs of Gaza are becoming catastrophically more dire. Gaza's needs include various shelter supplies such as tents, mobile homes, blankets, and mattresses. They also include generators, solar panels, and fuel in order to restore electricity, not only to the make-shift shelters that people are staying in, but to reinvigorate Gaza's healthcare system, including hospitals and clinics. Medicine and food are also needed, as the aid that the Israeli Army is allowing in is not nearly enough and less than agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement. Heavy machinery is absolutely essential, not only to remove the rubble and clear the streets, also to retrieve the estimated 10,000+ deceased Palestinians still under the rubble. Finally, raw materials must be allowed to enter Gaza to restore the electric grid and to fix the destroyed sewage and water desalination systems.
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By not fulfilling its contractual duties of the ceasefire agreement, Israel shows the world, once again, that it is not a reliable party in a conflict that can be reasoned and negotiated with, and how little concern it has for the people of Gaza and their living conditions. Delaying the entry of heavy machinery and mobile homes has cost lives that could have been saved and still live among us. These deliberate conditions are proof that Israel is continuing the destruction of the physical aspects of life in Gaza, and maintaining these horrifying conditions is an act of genocide.