Peace in Gaza - a ceasefire begins
How long will the night stay quiet
Khaleda Jerrera, holding her twelve-year-old daughter’s hand, walked down a lonely, dusty road in Gaza. The air was heavy with the silence and the road stretched on. Yet it seemed to hold a promise that kept them moving forward. Soon, they reached a checkpoint. An Israeli soldier stepped in front of them. He asked for her name, her family details, all the usual questions. After a brief exchange, he nodded toward another guard, signalling that they were allowed to pass. Together, she and her daughter kept walking. They were on their way home—home to the village they had fled more than fourteen months ago when Israeli airstrikes had ripped their neighbourhood apart.
One night many months ago, when the sirens screamed through the dark, Khaleda’s husband had volunteered to drive elderly villagers to safety, leaving Khaleda and their daughter to join the crowd of frightened families running toward shelters. For fourteen months, Khaleda hadn’t heard from him. Not a single word. No idea if their house was still standing. But as they walked, her heart clung to a fragile hope: Maybe he made it. Maybe he’s somewhere in a refugee camp, waiting to come home, just like us. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Khaleda and her daughter allowed themselves to smile, just a little.
As they walked on, the world around them seemed to have turned into a giant pile of broken dreams. Buildings were reduced to rubble, and playground slides lay twisted in the dirt. Yet, despite the devastation, the people around were smiling and nodding at each other. Like Khaleda, they were returning to whatever was left of their homes, eager to see if their families were still intact. For the first time in a long time, trucks filled with food and water were rolling into the villages. People, who had lived through months of hunger and thirst, could finally rest easy. They could sleep without the sound of explosions shattering their dreams. And maybe—just maybe—the most peaceful sound in the world was the one they could hear now: silence.
The war in Gaza had begun in October 2023. And just last Sunday (in Jan 2025), a truce had been declared. It was the first sign that peace could follow after the storm.
Every week on The Lighter Side, I highlight one story that stands out. This week’s story is about the beginnings of an end to the war in Gaza. Around the world, people are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping both parties honour their commitments to the truce. And really, what better story to write about than one that brings hope to our hearts?
So, as I sat down to write today’s post, I thought, “What better way to capture the mood of Gaza right now than with a good picture to depict it?” Naturally, I turned to Microsoft AI for help. I asked it to generate an image of a land where peace has finally been declared after war. And what does AI think peace looks like? Apparently, it’s a magical garden with butterflies gently flitting about, while mechanical flowers smile back at them. Because, you know, nothing says “peace after war” like a robot garden and some cheerful insects!
Now, if any of you happen to find a better image—something that maybe actually reflects the real mood of peace after war—feel free to email it to me at hello@wsnt.in. I would love to print it in our next edition of the The Lighter Side.
Back to our story of life in Gaza, let me introduce the characters in this war properly. There is no better way to do this than to tell you the story properly from the beginning.
Long long ago
More than a hundred years ago, there was a land known to Muslims, Christians, and Jews as Palestine—or, as the Bible grandly calls it, the Promised Land. It was full of important, holy places for all three religions. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some Jews started coming to this region from Europe. Why? Well, let’s just say some Europeans were being extremely rude to them—okay, downright mean—and the Jews needed a safer place to live. Meanwhile, the people already living there—mostly Muslims—were busy with their daily lives. They worked the land, herded sheep and grew food to keep their bellies full.
A few years later, around 1918, Britain—always eager to collect new places like it was playing a giant game of Monopoly—showed up in this region and decided to take charge. “We’ll rule this land now,” Britain declared, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In its infinite wisdom (or lack thereof), Britain thought it would be a brilliant idea to hand over the Promised Land to the Jews. So, it encouraged even more Jews to move in and settle on land where the local people had been living for generations. To nobody’s surprise, the locals were not thrilled. But with Britain the ruling power, the locals could do little. The Jews kept pouring in.
Fast forward a few decades, and the Jews announced the creation of their own country, which they called Israel. And, as you might guess, this didn’t exactly lead to hugs and high-fives. Tensions boiled over between the local settlers and the Jews. True to form, when things got really messy, Britain did what Britain was quite good at: it packed its bags, waved goodbye, and left everyone else to deal with the mess it had created.
In 1948, the United Nations gathered many countries and asked them whether Israel should officially become a country. A bunch of them enthusiastically raised their hands, clapped, and said, “Sure, why not?” And just like that, Israel became the official country for the Jews. But the original inhabitants of the land—mainly Muslims—were not happy. They felt the land was rightfully theirs and argued that the international community had no business slicing it up like it was a pizza. What was left for the Muslims were two tiny pieces of land - the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Israel then made a suggestion that sounded like something from a storybook: “Why don’t we just live happily ever after, side by side? One country for the Muslims (Palestine, which would include Gaza and the West Bank), and one country for us (Israel).” But the Palestinians didn’t see it as a fairytale ending. They said, “Uh, no thanks! The whole land, including Israel, belongs to us.” And so, the two sides began to fight.
Time marched on, but the fighting between the two groups didn’t stop. Over the years, Israel became super strong with a powerful army and lots of money, while Palestine became poorer and more desperate. By then, Israel’s leaders didn’t really see much reason to recognise Palestine as a separate country anymore—after all, they were winning the “who’s-more-powerful” contest. Eventually, the world (led by the United States, which loves poking its nose in other’s problems) stepped in and said, “Okay, you two, enough already! Let’s work out a deal.” The idea was for Israel to keep its territory, while Palestine would finally get to be its own country, with Gaza and the West Bank as its lands.
In the 1990s, after a lot of back-and-forth, something called the Oslo Accords was signed. To make it official, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stood on the White House lawn, shook hands and smiled for the cameras. U.S. President Bill Clinton stood between them, looking like a proud schoolteacher breaking up a playground fight. For their efforts to bring peace, Rabin, Arafat, and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres were given the Nobel Peace Prize. Everyone hoped this handshake would solve everything. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
Rabin went back to Israel feeling pretty good about the peace plan. But sadly, not everyone in Israel agreed with him. Just a few days later, he was assassinated by some Israelis who were angry about the Oslo Accords. Why? Because Rabin had agreed to give up some land in the West Bank that Israel had occupied, and these people didn’t want to let go of it. On the Palestinian side, things weren’t exactly peaceful either. Many Palestinians felt betrayed, thinking that for over a hundred years, they’d been losing land to Israel while the rest of the world looked the other way. The fighting continued in brief bursts.
As time went on, a lot of Palestinians felt like the world had forgotten them. In Gaza, a group called Hamas, which runs things there, felt stuck—kind of like a kid being ignored. On October 7, 2023, they decided to do something shocking to grab attention. They crossed into Israel, killed over 1,200 Israeli residents, and kidnapped more than 250 people. Israel was furious and hit back hard, invading Gaza and killing over 45,000 Gaza residents.
That’s how the present conflict began.
Peace after 15 months of fighting
You know, it’s funny to think about what makes two groups of people, who’ve spent ages yelling, fighting, and pointing fingers over past injustices, finally sit down at a table and talk peace. Is it because they suddenly become best friends? Ha! Nope.
Usually, it comes down to money. Fighting is really expensive—tanks, bombs, and weapons cost a lot of money. At some point, both sides look at their empty piggy banks and go, “Umm, maybe we should save some cash and talk this out instead.”
Israel has been pretty good at keeping its war going, mostly because it has a big, super-powerful friend—the United States. The U.S. didn’t just send over shiny weapons; it also acted like Israel’s loudest cheerleader at every international meeting. Anytime other countries tried to say, “Hey, maybe stop the fighting and agree to a ceasefire,” the U.S. would cross its arms, shake its head, and say, “Nope, we’re not voting for that!” But then came a plot twist: a new U.S. president named Donald Trump showed up. Now, Trump may be famous for lots of… interesting ideas, but here’s one that I approve of—he wanted to end the Gaza conflict. Even before sitting down at his fancy president desk, Trump said, “Alright, enough is enough. Let’s wrap this thing up.” With the Israeli government facing pressure from its strongest ally, it has become difficult for them to sustain the war.
Hamas had its own team of cheerleaders: Iran and Hezbollah (a group hanging out in Lebanon). They gave Hamas the weapons, money, and pep talks to keep things going. But over the past 15 months, things didn’t go so well for Hamas and its friends. Israel’s military didn’t just invade Gaza; it also killed some senior leaders from both Iran and Hezbollah, which was a pretty big blow to their game plan. Now, with fewer fighters and less money, Hamas started to feel like a team running out of energy drinks during a football game. So, just like a kid finally giving up after a long, loud argument, Hamas found itself at the negotiation table, ready to talk things out.
This ceasefire (if it holds) will happen over phases
Phase One: This phase began earlier this week. Hamas released three Israeli hostages, and Israel freed over 90 Palestinian prisoners detained during protests against Israel’s invasion. Israel has also withdrawn troops from most parts of Gaza. Additionally, trucks carrying food, water, and medical supplies have been allowed into Gaza. This phase will last for 42 days (six weeks).
Phase Two: If the ceasefire holds during the initial six weeks, Hamas is expected to release all remaining hostages, while Israel will free most Palestinian prisoners still in its custody. Israel will also fully withdraw its troops.
Phase Three: This phase poses the biggest questions. Gaza will need to be rebuilt, requiring billions of dollars. Which countries will fund the reconstruction? And who will govern Gaza after Israel’s withdrawal? There are no easy answers to these questions as of now.
Will the truce hold?
I’d love to go back to reading the newspaper without seeing more sad headlines about people dying in Gaza. But here’s the thing—I’m not so sure this truce is going to last. The biggest problem isn’t even outside Israel; it’s right in its own government.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is like a kid trying to keep a very wobbly tower of blocks from falling. He needs the support of a bunch of groups in the Israeli Parliament to stay in charge. But these groups really, really hate the idea of making any deals with Hamas. They want to keep fighting until Hamas is completely wiped out and every hostage is freed—no exceptions.
One of these groups has already thrown a tantrum, stomped off, and said, “We’re not supporting you anymore!” So I wonder - to maintain his political power, will Netanyahu choose to end the truce and resume bombing Gaza?
On the other side of Palestine, there are still a few voices who are holding firm to the idea that the conflict won’t end until Israel completely withdraws from Palestinian territories and gives Palestine full statehood. To them, this temporary ceasefire is just a band-aid on a much bigger wound. This truce is not a true solution to the struggles that Palestine has faced for decades.
Trivia Time - Earlier today, I stumbled upon some fascinating trivia that I just had to share. The first telescope was invented by a Dutch guy named Lippershey. Now, you’d think he had some grand cosmic goal, right? Nope! He just wanted to help people see stuff far away more clearly. Like, you know, spotting your neighbour standing on their balcony two buildings away or helping a sailor see a mango hanging from a tree on some far-off island.
But then came Galileo. Instead of using his telescope to stare at fruit or neighbours, he decided to take it up to his terrace at night and point it at the sky. Gasp—what a revelation! It’s like someone inventing a flashlight and then thinking, “Hmm, maybe I should point this thing at the dark stuff, not just my shoes.”
Podcast this week - Space has seen some fascinating breakthrough in 2024
2024 was filled with incredible breakthroughs in the area of space. India sent a mission to monitor the sun, tested new hypersonic missiles, NASA continued to work on its mission to send people to the moon and SpaceX pulled off one of the greatest scientific acts of magic (catching a giant booster that fell back onto earth from the sky). To discuss these stories, I was joined by four primary schoolers. They are space nerds, so they also had a quick quiz on space trivia in the first few minutes of the episode.
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