Ceasefire in Gaza: Promise of Peace vs. Reality on the Ground
More than two months after a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending years of conflict in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation remains dire and the promise of peace remains elusive. Despite a truce that reduced active battlefield fighting, the delivery of sustained food, medicine, shelter, and essential supplies has been severely restricted. While the ceasefire envisioned an increase in humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts, the reality is that aid flows remain far below what is needed to support Gaza’s beleaguered population of more than two million people. 
The humanitarian crisis is particularly acute for children. According to UNICEF, more than one million children in Gaza have been deprived of lifesaving aid, including food, safe water, and medical supplies, due to continued restrictions on humanitarian access since early March 2025.  Reports show that drinking water availability has plunged from 16 liters per person per day to as low as six liters, exposing children to heightened risk of disease and malnutrition.  Additionally, more than 9,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition in October 2025, with health facilities struggling to cope under these conditions.  The lack of adequate shelter has been compounded by torrential rains that killed 12 people, including vulnerable newborns and infants, underscoring the deadly mix of conflict and humanitarian neglect. 
The current state of affairs raises pressing questions about the intentions and effectiveness of the ceasefire: Is it genuinely aimed at restoring peace, stability, and dignity for civilians—or does it serve more to ease international pressure than to deliver sustainable change? Without a steady increase in aid delivery and unimpeded humanitarian access, promises of peace ring hollow to the people enduring the daily reality of hunger, disease, and infrastructural collapse. The entrenched blockade on humanitarian assistance has left critical supplies sitting in warehouses rather than reaching those in need, a situation many human rights observers argue violates basic principles of international humanitarian law. 
Director Moujtaba Akhwand of Freemuslim emphasizes that true, long-term peace cannot be achieved without tangible improvements in people’s lives. “If the intention is to achieve peace—not only for Palestinians, but for all who believe in justice and human dignity—then meaningful change must be visible: uninterrupted access to food, nutrition, medicine, housing, and opportunity,” he said. This collective call to action underscores the need for sustained, multilateral engagement and worldwide commitment to ensure that humanitarian obligations are met and that the ceasefire transforms from a fragile pause into a foundation for durable peace.
Akhwand also added; people will remember who stood up for their rights, and who neglected their basic human rights. The pain of losing loved-ones does not cure by or go away by feeding people, or normalizing their days. True peace and tangible steps are important towards normalization of living in a region filled with turmoil.
