The Israeli government and the Palestinian group Hamas have agreed terms for an initial six-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar after a series of failed attempts, the agreement involves the release of around one hundred hostages still in the hands of Hamas, a third of whose deaths were confirmed by the Tel Aviv Army.
The ceasefire increases the chances of a de-escalation in the clashes that have engulfed the rest of the Middle East as a result of the conflict, impacting Iran and its regional allies, such as Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
It also represents much-needed relief for Palestinians in Gaza, estimated at around 2.3 million before the fighting.
Facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis since the October 7th mega-attack that gave rise to the dispute, when Israel isolated the territory and limited the entry of humanitarian aid, the local population is experiencing a shortage of water, food, medicine and fuel that has made the hunger and the usual illnesses.
REMEMBER THE MAIN EVENTS OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
7.OCT.23 – HAMAS MEGA-ATTACK
Fighters from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which controls the War Strip, infiltrate southern Israel by land, sea and air. The operation catches security forces off guard. The result is the worst terrorist attack suffered by the Jewish State since its founding, with the death of around 1,200 people and the kidnapping of another 251.
One of the places invaded was the Universo Parallelo Supernova party, a rave that took place 5 km away in the Gaza Strip, in the Negev desert – 364 people died there alone, mostly young people. Kibbutzim near the border are also attacked.
Among the dead are four Brazilians: Ranani Glazer, 23; Bruna Valeanu, 24; Karla Stelzer Mender, 42, and Michel Nisenbaum, 59.
21.OCT.23 – ENTRY OF HUMANITARIAN AID
Israel imposes a total siege on Gaza in the first two weeks of the war. It is only on October 21, 2023 that the first humanitarian aid trucks enter the territory. Difficulties in providing humanitarian aid continued to be a problem throughout the war.
27.OCT.23 – LAND INVASION OF GAZA
Israel’s Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, promises to invade Gaza on October 7th. Days later, on October 12, 2023, forces give a 24-hour ultimatum to Palestinians to flee northern Gaza, where 1.1 million Palestinians live.
The foreshadowing of the operation occurs on the 26th, when Israeli tanks and bulldozers advance on the territory, but retreat. The actual entry takes place the following day, the 27th. Local telephone and internet services are cut off.
13.NOV.23 – REPATRIATION OF BRAZILIANS
A group of 32 repatriated Brazilians and Palestinians arrives in Brazil on November 13, 2023, after a month trying to leave the territory. The saga of the group, initially sheltered by Itamaraty in a school on the strip, drives efforts by Brazilian diplomacy and has wide repercussions on social media.
24.NOV TO 1.DEC.23 – TRUE AND RELEASE OF HOSTAGES
After intervention by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, Israel and Hamas promote a week of truce from November 24th to December 1st, 2023. The agreement involves the release of 105 of the total 251 hostages taken by Hamas during October 7th. In return, the Jewish state released 210 Palestinians it held in its prisons. The pause represents the first reprieve in the war since its beginning.
29.DEC.23 – SOUTH AFRICA ACCUSES ISRAEL OF GENOCIDE IN THE HAGUE
On December 29, 2023, South Africa presents a complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s main judicial body, accusing Israel of having “genocidal motivation” in attacking Palestinians in Gaza. Then, at the opening hearing of the case, he calls for the immediate suspension of Israeli operations in the strip.
The court – which, better known as the Hague Court, judges States, not individuals – announces its decision on January 26, 2024. The sentence frustrates pro-Palestinian activists by not accepting their request for a truce.
10.jan.24 – Houthis carry out major attack on the Red Sea
Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been fighting a civil war in the country since 2014, launch their biggest attack in the Red Sea on January 10, 2024.
The group – which, like Hamas and Hezbollah, is sponsored by Iran – declared support for the Palestinians at the start of the war. In November 2023, however, he finds a more effective way to impact the conflict by attacking ships that in theory have some connection with the Jewish State. The offensives impact the market, with cargo companies diverting their routes from the region and freight and oil prices rising.
25.MAR.24 – SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVES RESOLUTION ON WAR
After many fruitless votes, on March 25, 2024, the UN Security Council approved for the first time a resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, demanding a temporary truce in the fighting.
The session marks a break for the US with its usual stance of shielding Israel through its veto power. The country does not officially support the text, but abstains from voting.
7.MAY.24 – RAFAH’S INVASION
The Israeli Army invades the city of Rafah, in the south of Gaza, on the border with Egypt, in the early hours of May 7, 2024, the last refuge of millions of Palestinians who had fled the north.
17.JUN.24 – DISSOLUTION OF THE WAR OFFICE
On June 17, 2024, Netanyahu dissolves the war cabinet, established after his quest to form an emergency unitary government. The measure was expected after the departure of two of the prime minister’s opponents, supported by an ultra-right coalition.
31.JUL.24 – DEATH OF HAMAS LEADER
Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the political wing of Hamas, is killed in an explosion in Tehran. The Palestinian was in the country to participate in the inauguration of its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, a circumstance that aggravated Israeli offense in the eyes of Iran.
The operation follows the murder of several senior members of the terrorist group. The sequence culminates with the death of Yahya Sinwar, the main architect of the Hamas mega-attack, on October 17, 2024.
17.SEP.24 – HEZBOLLAH PAGERS EXPLOSION
A series of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies used by members of the Lebanese group Hezbollah on September 17 and 18, respectively, left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
The attack is attributed to Israel, which does not claim responsibility. International organizations raise the possibility of accusing him of a war crime, since the explosions, which occurred in several cities in Lebanon and even in Syria, did not distinguish between combatants and civilians, something illegal according to international law.
Then, on September 27, 2024, an Israeli mega-airstrike on Beirut kills Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, and several other leaders of the faction. The action culminates with Israel announcing the ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30, the first time this has happened since 2006.
1.OCT.24 – IRAN ATTACKS ISRAEL
Months after launching its first direct attack on Israel, Iran will again launch missile salvos against the country, on October 1, 2024. But if the first attack was related to a domestic issue, the assassination of Iranian generals in Syria, the second is linked to the war in Gaza, being a response to Israeli advances against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel retaliated later that month, on October 25. According to the state agency IRNA, military and radar centers were attacked in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam. Iran says damage was limited.
21.NOV.24 – TPI MANDA PRENDER NETANYAHU
On November 21, 2024, the ICC (International Criminal Court) – which judges individuals, not States – issues arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and the commander of Hamas Mohammed Deif, the latter reportedly killed. All three are accused of war crimes in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Although with few immediate effects, the warrants increase international pressure on the Israeli government. One of its consequences is to restrict the international travel of Israelis under its target. Virtually all countries in Europe are members of the ICC, and the European Union’s head of diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said the orders should be respected.
