A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip took effect from 24 November 2023 to 30 November 2023, during the Gaza war.
The initial agreement, mediated by Qatar, stipulated a four-day break in fighting during which 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel were to be released and more humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter Gaza, with the ceasefire subject to extension providing additional hostages are released. On 27 November, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a two-day extension to the ceasefire was agreed in which 20 Israelis and 60 Palestinians would be released. Close to the end of the first extension, on 30 November, another one day extension to the truce was agreed upon by both sides. The mediators in Qatar and in Egypt reported they worked to negotiate a further extension of the truce.
The deal was welcomed internationally, including by the United States, which also supported the deal's extensions. Both sides have blamed each other for violating the ceasefire. On 1 December, the truce ended with Hamas alleging that Israel rejected a hostage exchange deal to prolong the truce, and Hamas then launched rockets into Sderot. Israel responded with air raids on Gaza with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting 20 deaths. By 2 December negotiations had broken down, with the Israeli delegation leaving Qatar following an impasse and Hamas announcing they will not release any more hostages until the end of the war. The US blamed Hamas for violating the truce and the terms of the ceasefire.
Background
On 7 October 2023, during Hamas-led attack on Israel that commenced the Gaza war, Palestinian militants captured or abducted around 250 people from Israel, including both soldiers and civilians, and took them back to the Gaza Strip. In addition to hostages with only Israeli citizenship, almost half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships. By 23 November, four have been released by Hamas, two were found dead near the al-Shifa Hospital and one has been rescued.
Hamas have proposed an "everyone for everyone" deal, in which Palestinian militant groups would release all of the Israeli captives in return for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israel. 5,200 Palestinians were incarcerated by Israel before the war, but according to Palestinian officials, the number rose to over 10,000 amid a wave of mass detentions; following the deportation of several thousand detained Gazan workers, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs placed the number at approximately 8,300.
Many of these prisoners are held under administrative detention, a process which is criticized by human right organizations as it only applied to West Bank Palestinians, and were arrested for crimes such as speech and nonviolent protest. Families of the hostages have urged the Israeli government to accept the deal, claiming it was supported by "all of Israel", but Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has dismissed the offer and insisted that Israel would free the hostages by force. Several countries and international organisations have called for temporary or permanent ceasefires since the start of the war. Several countries have been involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar taking the lead.
An analysis by NBC News found that about 20% were convicted of a crime, while the roughly 80% of the list were not convicted of any crimes and had either not been prosecuted or had been detained under administrative detention. Among the Palestinians released on 30 November, was the prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi. An estimated 2,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons without any charges against them, and those who are charged face a more than 99% conviction rate in Israeli military courts.
Israeli authorities, however, have labeled all the released prisoners as "terrorists"; they had been detained for "offenses related to Israel's security", from throwing stones to supporting terrorism and attempted murder. Of the 300 prisoners initially proposed for release, 124 were under 18, and another 146 are 18, with many of those having turned 18 in prison. Of the 240 prisoners released 107 were aged between 14 and 17; 104 boys, of whom 5 were 14, and 3 girls, all 16 and 17. The remaining 133 were adults; 65 men, all aged 18 except one who turned 19 in prison, and 68 women of various ages.
Negotiations
The negotiations lasted for many months. They were greatly influenced by the new conditions created as a result of various Israeli operations in Gaza and the Middle East in general. During 2024, Israel killed multiple Hamas leaders and conducted several rescue operations. Several hostages, including American Hirsh Goldberg, were executed by Hamas. Hostages under Hamas suffered from malnourishment and ill treatment. Female hostages reported sexual assault in captivity.
The various sides were accused of sabotaging the negotiations: On one hand, the Netanyahu administration was accused by the press of sabotaging ceasefire talks. On the other hand, top U.S officials John Kirby and Antony Blinken accuse Hamas of hindering progress and constantly causing the failures to reach a hostages deal and ceasefire.
In opposition
On 24 October, US President Joe Biden stated, "We should have those hostages released and then we can talk", and subsequently doubled down on that opposition, saying that doing so would allow Hamas to attack Israel again. On 25 October, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also rejected a call for a ceasefire. The UK's Leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, also opposed a ceasefire on 8 November. German chancellor Olaf Scholz also opposed an "immediate cease-fire" on 13 November. However, by 13 December, Israel and the United States were becoming increasingly isolated amid growing global calls for a ceasefire.
The ceasefire was opposed domestically in Israel by three ministers from the political party Jewish Power.
In support
On 27 October, the United Nations General Assembly voted for a resolution calling for an immediate truce. It received 121 votes in favor and 44 abstentions; 14 countries voted no: Israel, the US, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Guatemala, Hungary, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.
Numerous heads of state, government officials and institutions, and international bodies have called for a ceasefire. On 8 October, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chair of the African Union, called for an end to the conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state. On 11 October, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for a ceasefire, stating, it was "urgently needed in defense of Israeli and Palestinian children". On 15 October, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for an immediate ceasefire. On 16 October, Pakistani Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar called for an immediate ceasefire and the end of the Gaza blockade. On 18 October, Dáil Éireann passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire. On 19 October, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, "The top priority now is a ceasefire as soon as possible", and called for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
On 20 October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for a ceasefire, stating Israel's attack on Gaza amounted to a genocide. On 21 October, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presented a plan for a ceasefire. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for a ceasefire, stating "as South Africans we can relate to what is happening to Palestinians". Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani called for ceasefire at the Cairo Peace Summit. On 24 October, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for a ceasefire. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for a ceasefire and for Palestinians to be "treated as human beings". On 25 October, King Abdullah II of Jordan stated ending the war was an "absolute necessity". Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, called for a ceasefire and stated that his own parents-in-law were trapped in Gaza. On 5 November, Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate ceasefire. On 7 November, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador called for a ceasefire.
On 10 November, French president Emmanuel Macron urged Israel "to stop" bombing Gaza. During a press conference at the White House on 14 November, Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for a ceasefire "for the sake of humanity". On 15 November, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Israel to exercise "maximum restraint". On 25 November, Belgian deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter called for a general ceasefire. On 9 December the prime ministers of Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Malta signed a joint letter urging the European Union to call for a permanent ceasefire.
On 19 October, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla called for a ceasefire, stating the war was the result of the "violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people". Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called for a ceasefire on 22 October. On 25 October, Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf called for an immediate cessation of bombing. Retno Marsudi, Indonesia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, called for an immediate ceasefire. On 26 October, the Foreign Ministers of nine Arab countries — the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco — signed a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire. On 8 November, UK Labour Party MP Imran Hussain resigned his frontbench position as shadow minister for the New Deal for Working People, to be able to advocate for a ceasefire outside of his frontbench position.
Various ambassadors and dignitaries also supported a ceasefire. On 18 October, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, stated her country's support for "no less than a full humanitarian ceasefire". On 21 October and during a subsequent UN Security Council meeting on 24 October, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a ceasefire. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stated, "the whole world" is expecting the UN to call for a ceasefire. On 29 October, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire and release of hostages. On 31 October, UN refugee commissioner Filippo Grandi called for a ceasefire.
On 5 November, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee issued a letter calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, signed by the heads of 18 humanitarian organizations. On 10 November, 1,000 employees of USAID signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire. On 21 November, the Scottish Parliament voted 90–28 in support of a motion calling for a ceasefire. On 26 November, EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, speaking on behalf of Josep Borrell, stated the European Union was calling for an immediate ceasefire. The European Parliament voted in favor of a ceasefire on 18 January. The Non-Aligned Movement announced its support for a ceasefire on 20 January 2024.
Israel and Hamas
On 2 November 2023, Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh stated that if Israel agreed to a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to bring more aid into Gaza, Hamas is "ready for political negotiations for a two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine." This followed the 1 November statement by Hamas official Ghazi Hamad that Hamas would repeat the 7 October attack time and again until Israel is annihilated. On 3 November, Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel would not agree to a ceasefire unless Hamas releases all hostages. On 6 November, both Israel and Hamas rejected calls for a ceasefire. On 15 November, Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq stated Israel was "stalling to continue its aggression and war against defenceless civilians."
In December, Israel proposed to stop fighting for a week in exchange for 40 hostages still held by Hamas. In response, Hamas declined this offer on 20 December, asserting that the release of Israeli hostages would not be considered until a ceasefire was put into place first. This was rejected by Israel the following day. In January 2024, CNN reported that Israel had proposed allowing senior Hamas leaders to leave Gaza as part of a ceasefire agreement.
Agreement
On 22 November, an agreement was reached that was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. after weeks of indirect negotiations. The deal provided for a four-day pause in fighting, the release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The ceasefire agreement allowed up to 200 trucks of aid to enter Gaza daily. All Israelis and Palestinians freed were to be women and children. According to Hamas, the deal also involved Israel halting all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintaining a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window over northern Gaza.
Egyptian state media and a senior Israeli official announced that the ceasefire will enter into effect on the morning of 23 November. However, the ceasefire actually began a day later on 24 November. The Israeli government said that the ceasefire would be extended by one day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas, but insisted that fighting would resume once the truce is over.