To Israel, the word ‘ceasefire’ simply means to continue its genocide – to keep killing, starving, and torturing Palestinians – just at a slower pace.
By Diana Buttu, reposted from Zeteo, June 5, 2026
73,000. That’s the number of (counted) Palestinians that Israel has killed in Gaza so far since the genocide began.
1,000. That’s the number of Palestinians that Israel has killed since the so-called “ceasefire” took effect eight months ago.
I have always hated the use of the term “ceasefire” when it comes to Palestine. The Cambridge English dictionary defines the term as “an agreement, usually between two armies, to stop fighting in order to allow discussions about peace.” For clarity, Palestinians do not have an army; we are not “fighting” (Israel is committing genocide), and of course, there are no “discussions about peace” (nor prospect of it, given that Israel continues to steal land).
And before anyone misconstrues my words, let me be clear: Palestinians were the happiest to see Israel’s mass killings stop when the so-called “ceasefire” was announced in October 2025. From October 2023 to October 2025 – the height of Israel’s genocide on Gaza – Israel was killing, on average, over 100 Palestinians a day.
Israeli forces were gleefully bombing nearly all of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, and more than 200 schools and universities (we saw the TikToks). Israeli soldiers viewed children, journalists, and medical personnel as legitimate targets. Israel and its U.S. backers derived sick pleasure in seeing Palestinians scramble for food, only for Israeli soldier’s to gun them down or bomb them.
So why do I hate the term “ceasefire”? Because “ceasefire” doesn’t mean the end of genocide – at least not for Israel. So let’s examine what it does mean for Israel.
1. Keep Killing, Wounding, and Maiming
First and foremost, to Israelis, a ceasefire means to keep killing Palestinian children, men, and women, to keep bombing tents, to keep striking people gathering food and water. This is why Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, including 200 children, and injured thousands of others since October 2025. In addition to the over 73,000 reported killings since October 2023 (which do not include deaths due to medical complications or lack of medical care), Israel has injured 172,000 others, with more than 43,000 suffering life-altering injuries.
In one weekend this month alone, Israel killed eight children across Gaza and injured others as they played football on a beach. The following week, Israeli bombs killed a paramedic, Mohammed Al-Habeel and his 5-year-old son, Mousa, as they filled containers with water. In a heartbreaking video, Mohammed’s daughter, Zeina, is seen pleading with her dead father, imploring him to “get up.”
2. Steal More Land
Second, the ceasefire means to steal more land. Despite the promised “Phase 2” of the ceasefire, during which Israel was supposed to withdraw from nearly all of Gaza, we have instead seen Israel grab more land, with Netanyahu admitting that Israel has taken 60% of Gaza and promising to take even more.
That means Gaza’s entire population of about 2 million people is crammed into just slivers of land. In other words, that is three times the population of Washington, DC, forced to remain in an area that is smaller than DC itself. And, if Palestinians cross the so-called “yellow line” – a line that is supposed to demarcate where Israeli-controlled areas begin but is often not marked – they risk being killed.
3. Starve and Deny Aid
Third, to Israel, the ceasefire means to continue to starve kids, deny medical assistance, and keep Palestinians imprisoned in an open-air prison, languishing in tents with no running water and no electricity.
Phase 2 of the ceasefire was to be marked by, among other things, reconstruction, rubble removal, and rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage). Israel is supposed to allow at least 600 aid trucks a day into Gaza “without interference” (of course, no one questions why Israel, the country committing genocide, gets to determine how much aid makes it through to Gaza in the first place). Phase 2 also called for the opening of the Rafah crossing. But, of course, Israel did little of this.
Due to Israel’s closures of and restrictions on lifeline passages for goods and supplies, Palestinians are still going hungry. Children suffer or are at risk of malnutrition due to a lack of fruits, vegetables, and protein. Palestinians still lack clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. Instead, rodents have infested Gaza, with children being bitten by rats and weasels.
And while some have been able to leave Gaza for medical treatment, as of the end of last month, more than 18,500 Palestinians still required medical evacuation, as there is no way for them to be treated in Gaza; certainly not given that Israel blocks the entry of medical equipment and supplies. Fully opening Rafah is a matter of life or death, and Israel knows this.
4. Imprison and Torture
Fourth, the ceasefire, to Israel, means continuing to abduct, imprison, rape, and torture Palestinians. That includes holding Gaza doctors, such as Hussam Abu Safiya (and 13 others), without charge – and with an Israeli court’s stamp of approval.
In short, in Israel, “ceasefire” means to continue to carry out genocide, at a slower pace. We knew this would happen, because we know that Israel will never be content until its Phase 2 is implemented – the complete erasure of all Palestinians.
As for mainstream media, “ceasefire” means ‘nothing to see here – time to move onto another story.’ When they do cover Israel’s killing, they use terms like “fragile ceasefire” or “imperfect ceasefire” or, on a good day, “ceasefire violation.” Of course, why bother explaining life in Gaza – there will be “discussions about peace!” Keep in mind, foreign journalists have still not been allowed independent access to Gaza.
Now, while the supposed ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States includes mentions of ending military operations in Lebanon and “ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon,” we already know what Israel’s interpretation of “ceasefire” will be there too: kill more Lebanese, steal more land, and continue to destroy Lebanon while demanding “calm” from Lebanon. And the media’s interpretation will be: ‘Now we’ve moved on from this story too, like we moved on from Gaza because now there is peace.’
Haifa-based lawyer & analyst Diana Buttu was a legal adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team in the early 2000s, is a frequent commentator & writer on Palestinian and Israeli issues, & is the author of Zeteo’s Diary From a Palestinian in Israel.
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