The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which the Western media has hailed as a diplomatic triumph with the potential to defuse tensions in the region, however, highlights the terrible reality of Palestinian genocide.  Netanyahu’s agreement to a truce with Hezbollah stemmed from two main factors.

First, in an effort to shift his foreign policy focus to Ukraine and Russia, Joe Biden has been pressuring Netanyahu to end the war in Lebanon. He likely views the ceasefire as a way to end his presidency on a positive foreign policy note. Second, the IDF in southern Lebanon had exhausted from weeks of intense fights with Hezbollah, resulting in increasing casualties and a growing strain on logistics.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is seen as a diplomatic triumph but distracts from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

But even as Israel and Hezbollah moved closer to a truce, the people of Gaza continued to endure an unrelenting, inane military assault. With all the neighborhoods destroyed and almost 2 million Palestinians displaced into shelters, the death toll has already surpassed 44,000. The world appears to be more interested in a political agreement with Hezbollah than with genocide in Gaza, demonstrating the complete disregard for the Palestinian cause amid the humanitarian crises.

The assassination of Hasan Nasrullah and the weakening of  Hezbollah serve as a push factor for its acceptance of the truce agreement. After the death of its commander, Hezbollah, which was formerly viewed as a serious threat to Israeli interests, has considerably diminished, enabling Israel to demand a ceasefire without having to worry about a multi-front war.

Instead of bringing peace to Gaza first, the Israel-Hezbullah truce only would enable Netanyahu to concentrate Israel’s military operations solely on Gaza without the fear of having a second front in the north. This is a cause for concern because it seems Israel is preparing to carry out extensive military operations in Gaza under the guise of legitimate defense.

Abdel-Ghani, father of five and one of the representatives of the Palestinian victims, said, “It showed Gaza is an orphan, with no support and no mercy from the unjust world.” He, along with fellow Palestinians who have been through more than a year of fire in Gaza, sees the failure to reach a ceasefire as not just a diplomatic failure but also as quite a blatant sign that the international community has abandoned them.

His anger seems to capture well the despair of million of Palestinian who, like him, had to throw their fate in the dark shadow of genocide under Netanyaho’s brazzen regime. “Perhaps, there will be another agreement with Gaza, perhaps,” he says, emphasizing what has essentially come to mark their grim reality: despair in the cloud of terror.

Despite the truce, over 44,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza due to relentless military operations and airstrikes.

Under the guise of eliminating Hamas, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed whole city blocks of residential districts, at the expense of the civilian population. Targeting schools, hospitals, and other vital infrastructure is not an accident; rather, it is part of a deliberate collective punishment agenda.

Over 80% of Gaza’s population, according to UN estimates, depends on humanitarian supplies; nevertheless, Israel continues to restrict this flow, trapping Palestinians in a humanitarian situation that keeps getting worse. Gaza has turned into an open-air prison, where even surviving has turned into an act of resistance, as several journalists on the ground report.

Speaking to the human cost of the Israeli military campaign, a Palestinian woman, Ranya, who had to flee to Gaza City, said: ‘‘We are exhausted. How many lives have to loss until they cease the fire? Gaza is being eliminated, starved, bombed, and abandoned. The silence of the world is just as lethal as the bombs that are dropping on us.’’

For millions of Palestinians who have watched their homes and families destroyed without any international accountability, her words speak for themselves. Not only does this desperation demand a stop to the bloodshed, but it also calls for accountability from those who support Netanyaho’s inhumane military adventures.

International powers like the United States and the European Union have been ignoring the main issue—the Genocide in Gaza—while trying to bring peace based on Israel’s terms and conditions. The Palestinians in Gaza are left to suffer the most while diplomatic efforts concentrate on ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

It is unacceptable that the world be indifferent to the systematic extermination of Palestinian, the denial of fundamental rights, and the destruction of infrastructure. Such crimes are categorically prohibited by international law, such as the Geneva Conventions, yet Israel is allowed to continue the genocide by successive US administrations masked by political ties and avoiding real international accountability.

The international community’s focus on Israel-Hezbollah negotiations reflects a disregard for the Palestinian cause amid ongoing genocide.

At this point in time, the international community needs to act with a decisive action to stop the cycle of violence. First, holding Netanyahu responsible for war crimes, which the ICC has issued an arrest warrant. The international community must then unite its efforts to pressure Israel to end its military campaign immediately.

Among the tools used would be withholding military aid, diplomatic isolation, and economic sanctions. An international agreement is necessary at this critical juncture to attain a political settlement that ensures the rights, security, and dignity of the Palestinian people, with special focus on the right to self-determination.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.