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A year after it was signed, the Gaza ceasefire is facing its sharpest test yet. Israeli forces resumed strikes in parts of the Gaza Strip this week, and medics on the ground reported several deaths, reigniting fears that the agreement brokered in late 2025 could unravel entirely. The Gaza ceasefire under strain is now the dominant story in a truce that had already drawn criticism over slow reconstruction and recurring violations from both sides.
The Israeli military said it resumed “enforcement” operations after accusing Hamas of violating terms of the agreement, while Palestinian medical officials said strikes killed civilians, including in areas the ceasefire had designated as protected. Al Jazeera’s running tally shows the Gaza death toll has continued climbing since the ceasefire took effect, with monitors citing more than 1,300 deaths attributed to post-ceasefire incidents.
What’s actually in the ceasefire deal
The agreement, reached after more than two years of war, set out phased troop withdrawals, a hostage-and-prisoner exchange, and a reconstruction and governance framework for Gaza overseen in part by international monitors. It was never a single clean handoff: both sides retained forces inside parts of the territory, and a buffer zone patrolled by Israeli troops has remained a persistent friction point whenever Palestinians attempt to return to areas near it.
Khaleej Times reported that the Israeli army said it was resuming enforcement of the ceasefire’s terms rather than abandoning it outright, language that rights monitors say has repeatedly preceded rounds of strikes throughout the past year whenever Israel has accused Hamas of rearming or attacking Israeli positions.
Why the Gaza ceasefire under strain keeps slipping back into violence
Analysts following the agreement point to three recurring triggers: disputes over the pace of Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone, accusations that Hamas has used the lull to rebuild tunnel networks and weapons caches, and the slow pace of reconstruction funding pledged by Gulf and Western donors. None of those disputes has been resolved by the mechanisms written into the original deal, which relies on an international monitoring body with limited enforcement power of its own.
Al Jazeera’s year-in-review coverage of the ceasefire noted that humanitarian access, while far better than during the war itself, still falls well short of what aid agencies say Gaza’s roughly two million residents need for rebuilding homes, hospitals and water infrastructure destroyed over two years of fighting.
The reconstruction gap behind the renewed fighting
Donor pledges made at reconstruction conferences in late 2025 and early 2026 have been only partially disbursed, according to UN agencies tracking the funding, and the physical rebuilding of Gaza’s housing stock has barely begun in the worst-hit areas like northern Gaza City. That slow pace has left hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans still living in tents or damaged structures a year after the fighting formally ended, a situation aid workers say leaves little buffer when violence flares and movement is restricted again.
What happens next if the truce holds — or doesn’t
Mediators including Egypt, Qatar and the United States have reportedly reopened contact with both sides to contain the latest flare-up before it spreads beyond the areas already affected. If the current round of strikes stays limited and enforcement eases again, the ceasefire’s broader structure is likely to survive, as it has through several previous rounds of localized violence. A wider breakdown would most likely be triggered by a mass-casualty incident on either side severe enough to collapse political will for restraint — the same dynamic that has defined the agreement’s fragility since it was signed.
For more on the diplomatic stakes still tied up in the region, Tamara News has covered the standoff over frozen Russian assets at the EU’s Brussels summit and the UN’s own one-year assessment of the Gaza ceasefire.
Frequently asked questions about the Gaza ceasefire under strain
Has the Gaza ceasefire officially collapsed?
No. Israeli officials describe the latest strikes as “enforcement” of the existing agreement rather than its termination, and mediators are working to contain the flare-up rather than renegotiate the deal from scratch.
Why did Israel resume strikes this week?
The Israeli military said the strikes followed alleged violations by Hamas, though it has not always detailed the specific incidents publicly; Palestinian officials dispute that characterization in relation to the latest deaths.
How many people have died since the ceasefire began?
Monitors cited by Al Jazeera put the toll from post-ceasefire incidents at more than 1,300, a figure that has climbed steadily through sporadic rounds of strikes and clashes over the past year.
What is holding up Gaza’s reconstruction?
UN agencies say donor funding pledged at reconstruction conferences has been only partially disbursed, slowing rebuilding of housing, hospitals and water systems in the hardest-hit areas.
Who is mediating the current tension?
Egypt, Qatar and the United States, the same three parties that brokered the original ceasefire, have reportedly reengaged with both sides to try to prevent the latest strikes from escalating further.
Could the war restart fully?
It’s possible but not the most likely outcome based on the pattern so far: previous flare-ups over the past year have stayed contained to limited strikes rather than triggering a full return to war, though officials on both sides acknowledge the risk remains real.
Sources
- Al Jazeera — By the Numbers: what a year-long ceasefire in Gaza looks like. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/video/by-the-numbers-3/2026/10/7/what-does-a-year-long-ceasefire-in-gaza-look-like
- Khaleej Times — Israel army says resumes enforcement of Gaza ceasefire. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/mena/israel-army-says-resumes-enforcement-of-gaza-ceasefire-2
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