Vivian Cook ’27
In early October, President Donald Trump helped facilitate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, pausing the fighting in a conflict that has caused significant destruction across Gaza over more than two years of violence.
The conflict is part of a large escalation of tensions between Israel and its neighbors, although the fighting over the past two years has been particularly deadly and prolonged. The current war began on October 7, 2023 after Hamas launched an attack against Israel, killing around 1,200 people and leading to the capture of 251 hostages. In response, the Israeli military declared war on Hamas, and fighting has continued almost unabated since.
Gaza has been ravaged by the conflict, with estimates in a report by Brown University claiming that more than 68,123 people have been killed and 179,750 injured. The scale of destruction has elicited widespread criticism against Israel and led to steep drops in support for the country.
In contrast with most of the world, the United States has staunchly supported Israel throughout the conflict. Ammunition and aid shipments critical to the Israeli war effort have continued without pause, and Trump has repeatedly affirmed his support for Israel’s continued war effort. At EA and across the nation, opinions are mixed on the U.S.’s continued support. Christele Furey, Upper School French teacher, largely disagrees with the U.S.’s aid, stating, “we gave too much power [to Israel] through giving arms and money to [allow them to] do whatever they wanted to do.”
Trump had made brokering a ceasefire deal a central part of his presidential campaign but was unable to make much progress until this fall, when the tide finally began to shift. While the UN General Assembly struggled to reach a consensus, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner raced behind the scenes to formulate a proposal to end the war, working with both sides extensively. The U.S. then presented the plan to a gathering of world leaders, where it was received more warmly than expected. Final details were then hashed out, and shortly afterwards, Israel and Hamas agreed to the deal.
Upper School history teacher David Mercante points out the lack of involvement from the UN, saying, “It doesn’t really look like the UN had any real impact.” Rather, the majority of the deal was formulated without the involvement of the world’s central diplomatic body.
The terms, which were structured in two phases, center around the return of all hostages—living and dead—to Israel and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Israel and Hamas also agreed to permit desperately needed humanitarian aid to reach the strip.
Expressing his empathy towards these suffering civilians, Head Chaplain Fr. Timothy Gavin shares, “One of the big challenges of any war is who gets caught in a crossfire.” Regarding humanitarian aid, Furey agrees on the importance of future relief efforts and criticizes the lack of aid thus far, saying, “No, I do not think [there was enough aid] at all.” News of the ceasefire has offered some hope for those who have been trapped in the tumultuous and deadly war, although significant questions remain regarding the tenability of the agreement. In January 2025, the two sides had also agreed to a different ceasefire deal, but hostilities eventually reopened. The rushed nature of this curren deal, which lacks specifics, could also inadvertently lead to a resumption of the conflict. Already, there have been flare-ups between the two sides. On October 28, the Israeli military sent strikes to Gaza, killing about 104 Palestinians. Since then, it’s also reported that Israel has denied 107 requests to send humanitarian aid into Gaza, a potential violation of the agreement and a move that risks worsening the hunger crisis in Gaza. In a fast-moving situation such as this, fueled by decades of past conflict, it is hard to know if the deal will last.
