[News] The war is over: Gaza reaps the fruits of 7 October

[Anti-Imperialist News]

  The war is over: Gaza reaps the fruits of 7 October

After Israel's protracted genocide in Gaza, the ceasefire delivers a 
devastating victory for the Palestinian resistance and a smug defeat for 
Israelis, who were forced to cough up unprecedented concessions, leaving 
Hamas whole and the strip unoccupied.

The Cradle's Palestine Correspondent 
<https://thecradle.co/authors/the-cradles-palestine-correspondent-68>

JAN 16, 2025 - 
https://thecradle.co/articles/the-war-is-over-gaza-reaps-the-fruits-of-7-october

Photo Credit: The Cradle

After 15 months of a brutal and relentless genocide that took the lives 
of over 50,000 Palestinians, a Gaza ceasefire has finally been reached. 
The truce deal marks a devastating victory for the Palestinian 
resistance, achieved at a staggering human cost, and a political loss 
for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the occupation state.

Unless Netanyahu pulls an unexpected move, which seems improbable for 
various reasons – most of them tied to demands from the incoming 
administration of US President-elect Donald Trump – it is clear to all 
involved in Doha, Cairo, Istanbul, and Washington that the agreement to 
halt the Gaza genocide has been finalized and is now underway.

Sources familiar with the negotiations reveal to /The Cradle/that the 
announcement delay 
<https://thecradle.co/articles/gaza-ceasefire-agreement-at-closest-point-yet-qatar>on 
14 January stemmed from an Israeli “final attempt” to manipulate 
withdrawal maps. Tel Aviv sought to insert the term “withdrawal from 
populated areas,” which implied maintaining its forces in “open areas” 
near civilian zones.

This effort was thwarted by “decisive American pressure.” On 15 January, 
further delay arose from disagreements over who would announce the 
agreement: the Qataris, Americans, Egyptians, or a joint conference. 
“Everyone wants to pick the image of achievement, but the balance is 
weighted in favor of the Qataris,” explains one of the sources. In the 
end, Qatar announced the ceasefire due to its pivotal position in 
mediating the deal. A few hours later, US President Joe Biden also 
announced the ceasefire.

Two months prior, Qatar temporarily withdrew 
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27636>from mediation to secure a US 
mandate from the new administration. Washington, recognizing Qatar’s 
“distinguished relationship” with Hamas, sidelined Cairo and resumed 
negotiations in Doha instead.

The ceasefire will take effect on Sunday, 19 January, just one day 
before Donald Trump’s inauguration. This timing is partly attributed to 
US efforts to shape optics and partly to allow logistical preparations 
by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

*Key details of the agreement*

Hamas and Israel have agreed to a phased approach, balancing both their 
immediate and long-term goals. The deal includes the release of 1,000 
Palestinian detainees, including 250 prisoners serving life sentences, 
women, and minors under 19 years old. Israel also agreed to withdraw 
from key areas of the strip, notably the Netzarim and Philadelphi axes, 
facilitating the return of displaced Gazans to the north without 
preconditions.

A significant element of the agreement was Hamas releasing 33 or 34 
Israeli prisoners still held in Gaza, out of a total of 98, representing 
a third of the remaining captives. Notably, this was achieved without 
providing Tel Aviv with prior disclosure of the hostages' condition, 
whether alive or deceased.

For the first time, Israel publicly revealed the number of Gazan 
prisoners: 3,436, with 529 denied legal counsel – a mix of fighters and 
civilians, debunking the Israeli narrative throughout the war to have 
captured thousands of fighters.

Despite Israeli attempts to prioritize certain Shin Bet and Unit 8200 
operatives in initial prisoner swaps, the agreed process ensures 
transparency. Prisoner release protocols, including pledges and 
documentation, began days prior, the sources inform /The Cradle/.

The withdrawal adheres to pre-7 October 2023 borders, averting Israeli 
attempts to establish buffer zones and achieve territorial encroachment 
– a significant victory for the Palestinian resistance. Hamas also 
secured commitments for reconstruction, including hospital 
rehabilitation, field medical teams, and unrestricted humanitarian aid.

This includes the re-opening of the destroyed Rafah crossing 
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/25515>with Egypt, although Egyptian 
sources tell /The Cradle/it will likely be opened in March, while work 
is already underway to repair the Egyptian side. Qatar will sponsor 600 
daily aid trucks, 200,000 tents, and 60,000 caravans. Moreover, Israel 
must limit air operations over Gaza to 8 to 10 hours daily in order to 
facilitate Palestinian search-and-rescue efforts.

Throughout the six-week implementation, Hamas will gradually release 
Israeli prisoners – three to four prisoners per week – an average of 19 
in the first five weeks – and the remaining 14 or so at the end of the 
first phase, retaining 65 individuals as leverage for subsequent phases. 
The details of those phases will be negotiated later, provided that the 
Americans uphold their guarantee to prevent the return of war.

The first troop withdrawal phase, allowing displaced Palestinians to 
return to the north, from Al-Rashid al-Bahari Street to the west, begins 
on the seventh day of the ceasefire. By the 22nd day, Israel will fully 
withdraw, restoring freedom of movement for all Palestinians.

*Netanyahu’s bitter pill *

Over 15 months of total war, Netanyahu has faced numerous internal and 
external hurdles 
<https://thecradle.co/articles/netanyahus-trial-corruption-war-crimes-and-an-israel-in-crisis>to 
reach this agreement. In the interim, the Israeli narrative of “absolute 
victory” has unraveled. Widely-touted promised gains, such as retaining 
the strategic Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors, have been abandoned, 
leaving Netanyahu and his extremist governing coalition grappling with a 
public relations crisis. The liberation of Palestinian prisoners and the 
reversal of territorial ambitions evoke memories of the 2011 exchange 
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/18/gilad-shalit-palestine-prisoners-freed>that 
freed 1,027 Palestinians for Gilad Shalit – a painful reminder for Israelis.

Israeli media’s reactions reflect this bitterness. “The pressure Trump 
is exerting right now is not the kind that Israel expected from him,” 
lamented 
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/15/a-stern-message-how-return-of-trump-loomed-over-gaza-ceasefire-negotiations>the 
rightwing commentator Jacob Bardugo on Channel 14 on Monday. The 
network’s journalist Ariel Segal, close to Netanyahu, remarked 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PtO2OsSpCs>, “It could be that we 
(Israel) are the first to pay the price of Trump's election.” Meanwhile, 
a journalist ally of extremist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir 
concedes that “Trump increased the pressure on Hamas to the point that 
Israel broke.”

To compensate, there are reports of an “American compensation package 
<https://allisrael.com/us-offers-israel-compensation-package-to-avoid-hitting-certain-iranian-targets-in-response-to-missile-assault-report>” 
offering Netanyahu political cover for this domestic defeat. It includes 
lifting sanctions on extremist settlers, shielding Israeli leaders from 
international legal action, and permitting major West Bank settlement 
expansions. Yet, compared to Tel Aviv's far-reaching initial ambitions, 
such as annexing the West Bank or attacking Iran, these concessions 
appear diluted.

The late, martyred Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who spearheaded the 
resistance's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, emerges as a key figure in the 
context of a prison swap. According to Hamas sources, the resistance 
negotiated the ceasefire on Sinwar's stringent terms, and in death, he 
achieved his goals. This will further glorify the man whose fight to the 
bitter end was captured in emotive images during his direct, defiant 
confrontation 
<https://thecradle.co/articles/sinwars-last-stand-what-lies-ahead-for-the-palestinian-resistance>with 
the occupation forces.

His soldiers, unaware of his identity until after his martyrdom, viewed 
him as a symbol of resistance. Today, Israel faces the prospect of 
releasing hundreds of prisoners with life sentences and will be bitterly 
weighing the likelihood of future ‘Sinwars’ among them. For Israel, 
prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment are seen as having “blood on 
their hands,” signifying their perceived threat and resilience as 
formidable Palestinian figures.

*A fragile victory*

Despite unparalleled suffering – over 200,000 casualties 
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/28408>, mass displacements, and Gaza’s 
near-total devastation – Palestinians are finding solace in halting the 
war and securing key concessions. The resistance’s steadfastness and 
Qatar’s deft diplomacy reshaped an agreement that, while imperfect, 
forestalls further bloodshed and displaces Israeli ambitions of 
long-term occupation.

However, the cessation remains precarious, hinging only on American 
guarantees and mutual adherence to terms. For Gaza’s people, scarred by 
war yet defiant, the deal symbolizes not just survival but a step toward 
reclaiming their dignity amid a continuing struggle.

When viewed alongside the key components of this agreement and 
juxtaposed with Israel’s objectives – the displacement of Gazans, the 
exile of resistance leaders, and the forcible retention of prisoners 
– the outcome marks a notable “achievement.”

This is particularly evident after over a year of relentless warfare, 
during which the occupation state seemed intent on perpetuating its 
presence in Gaza indefinitely. What complicates the narrative is the 
perception that the cessation of hostilities was largely driven by a 
“quasi-personal” decision by Donald Trump, who indirectly attacked 
Netanyahu during the process.

Yet, this outcome would not have been possible without the unwavering 
determination of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. Their recent 
intensifying operations, especially on the front lines near Beit Hanoun, 
which exacted heavy death tolls on Israeli forces, played a crucial role 
in addition to the regional fronts opened by Hamas’s allies in the Axis 
of Resistance.

Nevertheless, these efforts alone did not directly prompt the war’s end. 
Gazans have endured horrors they liken to “doomsday scenes.” The toll 
includes 17,000 orphans and countless families erased from the civil 
registry.

On 16 January, one day after the announcement came, Netanyahu attempted 
<https://thecradle.co/articles/netanyahu-delays-approval-of-ceasefire-deal-blames-hamas-for-backtracking> 
to delay the approval of the ceasefire deal, blaming Hamas for 
“backtracking.” However, Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq stated the group 
remains “committed” to the ceasefire announced Wednesday. Israeli media 
attributed the delay to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s threats to 
leave the government in protest.

The people of Gaza are choosing to celebrate the agreement and its 
implications. Their joy and relief are visible not only in the diaspora 
and the West Bank but also in the streets of Gaza and among the 
makeshift tents they now call home, even before the agreement’s official 
declaration.
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