A monumental end to the two-year war between Israel and Hamas is within reach, promising a potentially lasting truce for the Middle East. The ceasefire outlines a solid plan for peace, but will fail if Hamas or Israel refuse to abide by the agreement.

The Israel-Hamas conflict’s roots began in 2005, when Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in an attempt at peace. In 2007, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas took charge of the Gaza strip. Hamas violently ousted its opposing party, Fatah, in a five-day conflict where Hamas killed 600 Palestinians. Egypt and Israel imposed a strict blockade on their borders with Gaza after Hamas first took over. Between 2008 and 2023, four major Israeli military operations were conducted in Gaza. The military operations were often a result of Gazan rocket fire into Israel, and lasted 50 days at most.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1,200 civilians and taking 254 hostages. Israel declared war on Hamas on Oct. 8 and launched its invasion of Gaza. Hamas’ invasion violated a ceasefire with Israel and endangered its own civilians solely to achieve its number one goal according to its charter, killing Jews. Since then, nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, an estimated 20% of them being militants, according to Hamas statistics. However, this number isn’t confirmed as Hamas militants have been disguising themselves as civilians. Roughly 1,600 Israelis have been killed.

After a tremendous loss of life on both sides, the ceasefire sparked joy across the world. The ceasefire proposal was first drafted by mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt, and was accepted by both Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire outlines short-term major demands from either side. Israel must release 2,000 convicted Palestinian prisoners and pull back its military to the “yellow line.” Hamas must return all living and deceased hostages to Israel, demilitarize, and give up all political power. This agreement has optimistic goals, but Hamas’ ongoing refusal to abide by the ceasefire will make peace impossible in the foreseeable future.

Thus far, the ceasefire has been violated in various ways, highlighting the fragile state of the agreement. Hamas has repeatedly crossed into the “yellow line,” leading to the death of several Israeli soldiers. Israel launched attacks on Hamas in response. Hamas has yet to return all of the dead hostages, hasn’t demilitarized and has been killing its political enemies since the ceasefire to reassert its authority.

After both sides meet the initial terms of the ceasefire agreement, Gaza will be divided in half, one part free from Hamas and ruled by a multinational effort, and one ruled by Hamas, similar to East and West Germany during the Cold War. The multinational side will be led by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt and will act as a safe area for Palestinian people to live and work free from Hamas’ hegemony. This strategy is temporary, and once politically and physically rebuilt, Gaza will be run by a Palestinian authority. Though the long term goal is for Hamas to relinquish all political power, this likely will not happen.

The temporary division of Gaza leaves few threats to Hamas’ rule in a portion of the Gaza strip, which endangers civilians. Since the ceasefire, Hamas has been publicly executing political opposition, which includes anyone who has spoken out against Hamas during the war. Large Gazan families like the Dughmush family have had 19 members systematically executed to limit political dissent. Hamas is the enemy of the Palestinian people and peace, and if this ceasefire isn’t successful in dismantling Hamas, it will not succeed long-term. Hamas has consistently valued its own political power over the safety of its people. This began in 2007, when Hamas killed political opponents during its forceful takeover of Gaza.

Dismantling Hamas is the only way for long-term peace to be held. For years, Hamas has been the adversary of innocent Palestinians and Israelis. Despite agreeing to the ceasefire, Hamas has not disarmed, which shows they are not committed to peace. Hamas desires continued control over Gaza, which will result in more deaths and a worsened quality of life for Gazans.