Gaza Ceasefire Comes into Effect: A Future without Fighting for the Children

The seemingly endless war of attrition is finally showing signs of coming to a pause.

Due to Hamas and Israel, an indefinite ceasefire agreement has come into effect in the Gaza Strip area of Palestine. The conflict, which has reached its 50th day, claimed over 2,100 lives on the Gaza side and 70 on the Israel side. The figures of residents holding their dead children’s corpses are painful to even look at.

There is nothing worth winning that is worth these children’s lives. Seeing the rejoicing residents after receiving the agreement that “no one else should have to die,” you can’t help but wish that the ceasefire will last forever. So that the children of Gaza need not experience a second war, both parties sincerely wish to establish peace.

It began in June, when the dead bodies of three Jewish youths were found. As a result, Israel strengthened Hamas raids, and when Gaza retaliated with increased rocket strikes, Israel also increased shelling as well as invading by ground. Over 11,000 Gaza residents lost their homes, and over 475,000 were wounded.

This is a repeat of a ceasefire earlier this year that broke down. A ceasefire was negotiated by the U.N. and the U.S. at the end of July, but it collapsed in mere hours. A ceasefire on Aug. 5 also broke down within three days and fighting resumed. Negotiations with Turkey and Qatar, close to Hamas, have also ended badly, but this time, with the help of Egypt’s mediation, an agreement was reached.

With the U.S. and U.N.’s influence having faded, the situation was exposed to Egypt. Despite Egypt’s having a good relationship with Hamas and the administration created by the exiled former president being close to Israel, the initial mediation failed.

This time, the agreement is only a tentative agreement that shelves both sides’ requests and is standing on very thin ice. Hamas is firmly demanding the construction of airports and seaports to connect with the outside. On the other hand, Israel is seeking an “extended calm” with the demilitarization of Gaza. Neither side is likely to get what it wants.

Far from a drastic solution, what is needed is a recovery of the international community’s ability to arbitrate. Facing this situation in which the ability to arbitrate has been lost, they should be exploring a new approach.

Japan should not be sitting down either. It has good relations with both Israel and the Middle East, and since it has a certain distance, it is an ideal mediator. It could mediate both sides’ requests sincerely and tenaciously. Is that not “assertive pacifism”?