Since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023, talk of a “nearby ceasefire” or an “imminent halt to hostilities” has never ceased.

Global media outlets continuously report on negotiations, spreading statements about US pressures, secret meetings in Cairo and Doha, and official declarations suggesting that the path toward a possible truce that could stop the bloodshed is opening up. Yet, these promises quickly evaporate, leaving behind compounded disappointment and a deep sense among Gaza’s residents that they are caught in a cruel political game the primary aim of which is not to stop the killing, but rather to buy time for it to continue at an even harsher pace.

Ceasefire negotiations: the suspended promise

Throughout two years of ongoing genocide, the topic of ceasefires has recurred almost seasonally, linked to political milestones or specific time-bound events. Reviewing the most notable of these moments reveals how the negotiations have become a “media bubble” that provides Israel cover to continue its destructive agenda.

November 2023 ceasefire: a brief respite

The temporary ceasefire in November 2023 marked the first real test of the “halt to hostilities” concept. It was promoted as a humanitarian window, allowing for the release of some Israeli prisoners in exchange for the liberation of a number of Palestinian detainees. The ceasefire lasted only seven days and included a limited delivery of humanitarian aid. However, once the ceasefire ended, Israel’s war machine returned at full force, targeting new areas previously untouched, particularly in northern Gaza. Thousands of civilians, who believed the days of bloodshed had paused, discovered that the ceasefire had merely provided Israel an opportunity to reorganise its forces, select new targets, and strike again with even greater intensity.

January-February 2024 negotiations: false promises

At the beginning of 2024, Cairo and Doha witnessed an intensive diplomatic push under the banner of “reaching a comprehensive ceasefire agreement”. International media spoke of genuine progress, and statements from US officials claimed that an agreement was “just steps away”. Yet, the on-the-ground reality told a very different story. While cameras followed the meetings, Israel launched a major ground incursion into Khan Yunis, leaving thousands dead and wounded, in addition to destroying entire residential neighbourhoods. The negotiations ended in nothing, while the casualty toll rose to unprecedented levels since the start of the war.

March 2024: promises before Ramadan

As the holy month of Ramadan approached, media outlets again promoted reports of an imminent ceasefire, with diplomatic sources claiming hostilities might end within days “in honour of the sacred month”. Palestinians in Gaza pinned great hopes on these reports, anticipating a relatively safe Ramadan. Yet, Israel sabotaged the negotiations at the last moment and instead carried out one of the war’s most horrific massacres, targeting gatherings of civilians seeking food aid in northern Gaza, resulting in hundreds of deaths within hours. For millions of Palestinians, this “Ramadan ceasefire” proved to be another cruel deception preceding even more intense bloodshed.

May-June 2024: Biden’s speech and a mirage deal

In May 2024, then US president Joe Biden delivered a televised speech announcing that Israel had agreed to a “three-stage plan to halt hostilities”. International media hailed the statement as a historic development, with analyses suggesting the war was nearing its end. However, while Biden promoted the plan, Israel was preparing to invade Rafah, the last city sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Between May and June, Rafah turned into a vast killing field, with residents forced to flee once more under dire humanitarian conditions and thousands more killed under bombardment. Thus, Biden’s “plan” was revealed to be nothing more than a political cover for Israel to carry out the largest displacement operation since the war began.

September 2024 and beyond: the endless cycle

Diplomatic efforts did not stop there. Meetings continued in Paris, Cairo and Doha, with repeated statements about “positive developments”, yet the final outcome remained the same: no ceasefire, only more bombardment and killing. For Gaza’s residents, the news of an “imminent agreement” became a bitter joke, one they shared as they braced for yet another round of massacres.

Israel’s exploitation of time

Notably, each round of negotiations was not merely a political failure; it provided Israel practical cover to execute dangerous field operations. During periods when ceasefire talks were discussed, Israel:

1. Intensified bombing in areas previously untouched, destroying entire neighbourhoods;
2. Issued mass evacuation orders, forcing residents to move from one city to another in a never-ending ordeal;
3. Deepened the siege and starvation policy, preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians or deliberately targeting it, as in the aid convoy massacre; and
4. Destroyed infrastructure, hospitals, schools, shelters, making it impossible to resume a normal life even if the war paused.

In this sense, ceasefires were not empty promises; they were strategic tools in Israel’s hands, granting it time and space to expand the scope of genocide.

The psychological and social impact on Gazans

Humanitarian consequences have been devastating. Every time news of a ceasefire spread, people experienced a fragile hope, imagining hours of calm, the opening of aid channels and a brief chance to breathe. Yet this hope quickly turned into harsh disappointment when negotiations collapsed and bombardments resumed with even greater intensity.

This cycle of hope and despair has led to:

• Erosion of trust in international institutions, which Palestinians increasingly see as mere political theatre;
• Escalation of mental health crises, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, especially among children and women trapped in a web of false hopes; and
• A general sense of betrayal, not only by Israel but by the world at large, manipulating their fate through illusory negotiations.

The continuous wait for something that never arrives has made life in Gaza feel like psychological imprisonment, as if existence hangs by a fragile thread of political bargaining.

The political dimension: an Israeli-international game

Why does this scenario repeat itself? The answer lies in the nature of Israel’s relationship with its international allies, particularly the US.

• Israel benefits from the notion of a ceasefire to ease international pressure and gain time to reposition militarily.
• The United States uses these negotiations to project a false image of mediation while being the primary funder of the war.
• The international community issues generic statements of “deep concern” and “urgent need to halt hostilities”, without any concrete action.

The result is that ceasefire negotiations have become carefully managed political theatre, designed to prolong the war rather than end it.

The ongoing respite of death

After two years of war, it is clear that ceasefires are not a genuine objective for Israel or its allies; they are instruments in a long-term strategy to dismantle Gaza’s society and kill its people slowly. What is marketed as “hope” is nothing more than a brief pause, in which the occupation can catch its breath while preparing the next round of genocide.

For Gazans, news of a ceasefire has become a double-edged sword: offering a fleeting moment of hope while simultaneously deepening the wound in their hearts. As the world continues to speak of “positive negotiations”, the people of Gaza continue to bleed, increasingly convinced that waiting for a ceasefire is little different from waiting for the impossible.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.