More than seven months have passed since the announcement _ on October 10, 2025 _ of a comprehensive ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas – an agreement that was meant to bring to an end Israeli’s brutal retaliatory military offensive on Gaza, as a result of which according to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 72,000 Palestinians have been killed (of which an estimated 38,000 are women and girls), and 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. However, despite the agreement, Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer due to ongoing violence, restrictions on humanitarian assistance, and harsh, brutal living conditions.
In the West Bank, the situation for Palestinians has also deteriorated drastically, with a sharp rise in military raids and arrests, lethal settler violence, house demolitions, severe movement restrictions, and economic pressures. The Israeli government not only has failed to address the violence perpetrated against Palestinians but also has continued with plans to increase the number of illegal settlements in the West Bank as it pushes forward with its de facto annexation of Palestinian lands. On March 30, 2026, with the passing of the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Act,” which authorizes the death penalty primarily for Palestinian perpetrators of fatal terror attacks, the Israeli government has once again reinforced apartheid and differential treatment for Palestinians subject to legal proceedings.
The systemic violations of the ceasefire agreement and the continued oppression and subjugation of Palestinians under military occupation will only create more cycles of violence. There can be no peace without justice and a real effort to address Palestinians’ systematic dispossession, a process that will require the voices and participation of Palestinians themselves.