The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, implemented in January 2025, is now under serious scrutiny due to ongoing violations by Israel. The truce, meant to end 15 months of conflict, is at risk of breaking completely.Israel’s repeated violations of the deal have made the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worse and raised fears of a return to full-scale war.
The ceasefire agreement was structured in three phases, with the first phase focusing on halting military operations, releasing hostages, and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. This phase brought a brief period of relief to the war-torn region, with hostages being exchanged and aid trucks entering Gaza.However, tensions quickly increased as both sides accused each other of breaching the terms of the ceasefire.
On March 2, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza, stopped humanitarian aid, food, and fuel trucks from entering Gaza, breaking ceasefire rules requiring daily aid deliveries. The January deal required Israel to allow 12,000 aid trucks into Gaza by mid-March. But only 8,500 trucks had entered Gaza, leaving families without basics like flour, rice, and baby formula. Hospitals report severe shortages of medicines and painkillers.
Israel claims this pressure tactic will force Hamas to release more hostages. This move was widely condemned by international mediators, including Egypt and Qatar, as a violation of the ceasefire's core objectives. However,the UN calls this "collective punishment" which is banned under international law.
The blockade has led to severe shortages of essential supplies, leaving Gaza's residents struggling to survive. A week later, Israel cut off electricity supplies, crippling a desalination plant that provided drinking water to half a million Palestinians.
Though major fighting paused in January, Israeli drones and soldiers kept attacking Gaza neighborhoods. On March 18, Israel launched a series of airstrikes across Gaza, targeting residential areas, schools, and make shift shelters. These attacks resulted in over 400 deaths, including many women and children, and left hundreds more injured. These strikes broke the ceasefire’s core promise of "halting military operations."
The ceasefire's second phase, which was supposed to address long-term peace and the release of remaining captives, has stalled. Israel has been accused of avoiding meaningful negotiations and refusing to commit to key terms, such as the withdrawal of troops from Gaza. Israel claims Hamas provoked this by not releasing hostages, but Hamas accused Israel first of breaking ceasefire terms by blocking aid and attacking Gaza.
The ceasefire deal required Israel to send 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes into Gaza by March. However, only 20,000 tents, just 10 percent of what was promised, have arrived. This means most families are still sleeping in damaged and bombed-out buildings. This failure to deliver the needed shelters is yet another violation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Israel's actions in the West Bank have created serious concerns, even though a ceasefire was supposed to bring calm to Gaza. Instead of focusing on the agreement, Israel has increased military raids in the West Bank. Tanks were sent to Jenin for the first time since 2002, and 23 buildings were destroyed.Over 40,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes since January. Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said: "Israel wants to ethnically cleanse us from our land.”
Another key problem is Israel blocking the next phase of the cease fire deal. The agreement required Israel to remove troops out of Gaza and begin reconstruction. However, these talks were stopped in February when Israel demanded Hamas release all hostages first without any conditions, this was not part of the original deal. Analyst Daniel Levy recently said: “Netanyahu wants endless war, not peace.”
Global responses around the world have been mixed. Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the deal and putting hostages at risk. The United Nations has called the blockade on Gaza an illegal way to starve people. The United States approved Israel’s airstrikes on March 18 but has asked them to be cautious. Despite these warnings, the situation continues to worsen, and the fragile ceasefire is at risk of falling apart. As Israel’s government vows to keep fighting, the world watches as to whether mediators can save the ceasefire, or if the nightmare in Gaza will grow even darker.