4 min readNew DelhiNov 23, 2023 11:18 AM IST
First published on: Nov 22, 2023 at 12:39 PM IST
Qatar, on Wednesday (November 22), announced the success of mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, resulting in an agreement for a humanitarian pause. Facilitated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the pause will last for four days, subject to extension, with the starting time to be announced shortly.
While expected to provide much needed respite to war-torn Gaza, this is not the same as a ceasefire that human rights groups and activists around the world have been clamouring for. The difference between a ‘humanitarian pause’ and a ‘ceasefire’ is more than just a matter of semantics — we explain.
A brief break in hostilities…
The United Nations defines a “humanitarian pause” as a “temporary cessation of hostilities purely for humanitarian purposes”. Such pauses are usually limited to a defined period, and to a specific area where the humanitarian activities are to be carried out.
The statement released by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is noticeably vague on the exact geography of the announced pause but mentions a four-day time period, subject to being extended if further negotiations succeed.
With regards to humanitarian measures, the statement said that “50 civilian women and children hostages, currently held in the Gaza Strip” will be released “in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children, detained in Israeli prisons.” Moreover, the pause will allow “the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs.”
… versus a more comprehensive cessation
A ceasefire, on the other hand, goes much further. The UN defines it as a “suspension of fighting agreed upon by the parties to a conflict, typically as part of a political process”, with the goal being to “allow parties to engage in dialogue, including the possibility of reaching a permanent political settlement”.
Simply put, unlike a humanitarian pause, which is fairly limited in its scope, a ceasefire is a longer-term arrangement to stop fighting in order to arrive at a political/diplomatic solution. In context of the ongoing conflict in Palestine, the two thus have completely different meanings as well as motivations behind them.
“A small bandage on an open wound”
Israel, and its allies in the West, are for most part strongly opposed to a ceasefire as they feel it will allow Hamas to “regroup”, thus nullifying Israel’s ongoing efforts.
Ahead of the cabinet vote which sanctioned the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Hamas would resume after the truce expires. “We are at war, and we will continue the war … until we achieve all our goals,” he said.
Thus, the humanitarian pause will simply provide some relief amidst the relentless hostilities, hopefully help civilians in distress, while at the same time allowing Israel to continue its military assault. For many people, this is simply not enough and in fact prolongs the ongoing suffering.
“A humanitarian pause is nothing but a small bandage on an open wound and a way to draw this horror out longer,” Ibrahim Muhtadi, an artist from Gaza, wrote in The Guardian. “What good is a humanitarian pause for aid if the killing doesn’t stop?” he wrote.
Advocates of a ceasefire believe that for there to be any meaningful and lasting peace, Israel must lift its siege of Gaza, and relaunch negotiations, in good faith, for an independent Palestinian state.
Protesters in Washington DC demand that the US government push Israel for a ceasefire and to end US aid to Israel, amid Israel's unrelenting onslaught in Gaza. (REUTERS/Leah Millis) 
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