A lot has already been said about the despicable October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel by Hamas fighters and Israel’s ruthless military response that raged for two years.

Near 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in that Hamas assault, while Israel’s unrelenting bombardment of Gaza has, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and seriously injured almost 170,000.

Additionally, the Israeli action has led to mass hunger and displacement, resulting in the international community accusing the Jewish State of genocide.

On October 8 news emerged that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal. The first phase of the pact calls for release of a number of Israeli captives in Gaza in return for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners. That is already in motion and is certainly a rare achievement in a conflict often defined by abstraction.

In addition, the armistice includes provisions for increasing humanitarian access, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to Gaza, and the prospect of reconstruction.

These elements give some hope that the damage inflicted by the two years of conflict may begin to be addressed, which is critical for any future stability.

However, as analysts have correctly noted, this deal is fragile as a ceasefire is not a lasting peace agreement. There are many deeper issues that are unresolved, among them the question of governance in Gaza, the role of Hamas, Israeli security guarantees, and what a final settlement might look like.

There are also serious concerns about whether the commitments made by both sides will be honoured, as already Israel has been accused of delaying or constraining humanitarian aid, while Hamas has reportedly not handed over all bodies of slain Israelis, saying that it is encountering technical problems recovering more.

Adding to this imbroglio, on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported as saying that the war will end once the second phase of the truce, which requires the disarming of Hamas, is completed.

“Phase B also involves the disarming of Hamas — or more precisely, the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, following the stripping of Hamas of its weapons,” Mr Netanyahu said on Israel’s right-wing Channel 14 television.

“When that is successfully completed — hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way — then the war will end,” he added.

However, just a day earlier Hamas Politburo member Mr Mohammed Nazzal was reported by Reuters news agency as saying that he could not commit to the group disarming.

Additionally, Reuters reported that Mr Nazzal also said Hamas was ready for a ceasefire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given “horizons and hope” for statehood.

Without that hope and recognition of Palestinians’ right to statehood, the cycle of violence will return, leaving the ceasefire as just that — a pause in fighting rather than a turning point.

We share the view of analysts that the deal lacks strong enforcement mechanisms, independent monitoring, and clear guarantees of what happens after the initial phases. But the ceasefire is necessary and welcome, simply because the human cost of the war had become intolerable.

Still, it must be viewed as a first step. And, while the optimism around the ceasefire is understandable, it must be tempered by realism.