Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire Comes to an End, Missing Soldier at Stake

The Israeli-Palestinian War in the Gaza Strip is a never-ending deal, with the two declaring truces that are then quickly broken after days, weeks, or months. The latest Israel-Palestinian ceasefire is, unfortunately, a continuing part of the never-ending struggle between Isaac and Ishmael.

Just hours after the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire was declared in the Gaza Strip, the ceasefire ended. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement official by way of U.N. Mideast Envoy Robert Serry: “Israel announces that Hamas has thus ended the humanitarian cease-fire and prevented the residents of Gaza from benefiting from it.”

The reason behind the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire pertains to a missing soldier. Israeli soldiers were trying to destroy a tunnel used by Hamas militants when the group was attacked by Hamas. One Hamas militant was a suicide bomber, and somehow, in the attack, an Israeli soldier went missing. It was presumed he was taken down into the tunnel, but the soldier has not yet been found.

Israelis see the capture of a military soldier within their ranks as the equivalent of losing a family member, and Israel often decides to free a Hamas militant in order to secure the release of their military soldier out of captivity. The destruction of infiltration tunnels that had been used by Hamas to strike Israeli territory was granted to Israel under the recent Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire. Out of the deal, Hamas was given the right to appear in peace talks in Cairo.

As for Hamas, it’s been known in days past to capture soldiers and use them as “bargaining chips” to get their way. Whether the soldier is dead or alive is unknown. It’s unlikely that any compromise between Israel and Palestine will be reached at this time, as long as the soldier remains missing.

Tags