Gaza

What the US say

Trump claimed that his administration had “maintained the Gaza ceasefire,” delivered “record levels of humanitarian aid,” and that Palestinians in Gaza were no longer starving.

“We’ve kept the ceasefire going,” Trump said. “We delivered humanitarian aid at levels nobody’s ever seen before. You don’t hear anymore about people starving in Gaza.”

What Are the Terms of the Ceasefire?

On September 29, the US unveiled a 20-point proposal to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, release the remaining captives held in the enclave, allow the full entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory and outline a three-phase withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Some of the main conditions of the first phase, which is ongoing, include:

• An end to hostilities in Gaza
• Lifting the blockade of all aid into Gaza by Israel and stopping its interference in aid distribution
• Release of all captives held in Gaza – alive or dead – by Hamas
• Release of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and disappeared people from Israeli jails
• Withdrawal of Israeli forces to the “yellow line”

On October 10, Trump’s ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip.

Are Trump’s claims true? No. So, What Palestinians Say

The Gaza Government Media Office said on Tuesday that Israel has violated the ceasefire in Gaza since it took effect on October 10 about 1300 times.

Here’s more details:

Attacks and Killings

The Office said Israel shot at civilians 430 times, raided residential areas beyond the “yellow line” 66 times, bombed and shelled Gaza 604 times, and demolished people’s properties on 200 occasions.

It added that Israel had also abducted 50 Palestinians from Gaza.

Over 438 Palestinians have been killed, including 252 children, women and elders and 1,287 others wounded in Israeli attacks in 100 days on Gaza since the ceasefire began, it added.

Humanitarian Aid

Israel has also continued to block essential humanitarian aid from entering the enclave despite the ceasefire stipulating that “full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip”.

From October 10 to January 20, only 25,816 trucks have entered Gaza out of 60,000, averaging 261 trucks per day. That is only 43 percent of the trucks allocated.

In addition, Israel has blocked essential and nutritious food items, including meat, dairy, and vegetables, crucial for a balanced diet. Instead, non-nutritious foodstuffs are being allowed, such as snacks, chocolate, crisps, and soft drinks.

Shelters

The Office has warned of a rapidly deepening and unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as Israel continues to close border crossings and block the entry of tents, mobile homes, caravans, and other essential shelter materials, “in clear violation of existing agreements and international humanitarian law.”

The Office pointed to recent storms which have caused the collapse of dozens homes and buildings that had previously been damaged by Israeli bombardment, killing over 25 civilians. People have also died from extreme cold inside tents. At least eight children have died since November from severe colds.

Meanwhile, more than 127,000 tents are no longer usable, leaving over 1.5 million displaced people without even the most basic level of protection.

According to reports, Israel has attacked Gaza on 89 out of the past 104 days of the ceasefire, meaning there were only 15 days during which no violent attacks, deaths or injuries were reported.

Despite Israel’s ongoing attacks, the US insists that the “ceasefire” is still holding and Israel hasn’t violated it.

Israel is also continuing to close the Rafah crossing.

Has Hamas Released All of the Captives?

The US previously confirmed that the Palestinian factions in Gaza had returned all living captives and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased captives.

On October 13, as per the ceasefire deal, Hamas released all 20 remaining living Israeli captives in exchange for 250 Palestinians serving long prison sentences and 1,700 Palestinians abducted by Israel since October 7, 2023.

As part of the deal, Hamas is also expected to return the bodies of 28 Israeli captives in exchange for 360 Palestinian bodies held by Israel.

As of December 3, Hamas had returned 27 Israeli captives’ bodies, with only one remaining in Gaza. The group has said it requires heavy excavation equipment to recover the remaining captive’s body buried under the rubble from Israeli bombardment after two years of genocide as more than 80 percent of structures in Gaza were destroyed.

Israel has so far returned more than 300 Palestinian bodies, many of which showed signs of severe torture. Many are still unidentified.

What Hamas Says and What About the “Yellow Line”

Last week, following the US announcement of the transition to Phase Two of Trump’s plan, Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they agreed “to support the mediators’ efforts in forming the Palestinian National Transitional Committee to administer the Gaza Strip as part of phase two while providing the appropriate environment” for it to begin its work.

Taher al-Nunu said Hamas “must work with mediators and the international community to achieve calm and a return to normalcy in Gaza” and praised the “great efforts” being made to implement what was agreed upon.

Al-Nunu also accused Israel of attempting to derail the ceasefire and said Hamas was “working with mediators to open the crossings, allow aid in and secure the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip”.

However, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, known as Kan, reported that Israeli officials consider the so-called yellow line as a strategic area that will remain under Israeli control.

On October 10, the Israeli forces completed the first phase of withdrawal under the ceasefire deal to the “yellow line,” a non-physical demarcation line separating the Israeli occupation forces from certain areas of Gaza, while occupying roughly 53 percent of the Strip.

Israeli forces have been reportedly expanding the so-called “yellow line” in eastern Gaza, particularly in eastern Gaza City’s Tuffah, Shujayea, and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, squeezing Palestinians into ever smaller clusters of the enclave.

There was no mention from the US administration about Israeli withdrawal.