A Ceasefire agreement is an agreement between armed parties to halt hostilities for a specific period of time. It differs from a cessation of hostilities or a truce in that a ceasefire typically specifies when the agreement begins and ends. It can also provide for the physical separation of forces (including delineation of ceasefire lines or buffer zones) and provision for verification, monitoring, and supervision.
Ceasefire agreements can be unilateral, bilateral or multilateral in scope and may be permanent or of a specified limited duration. The term ‘ceasefire agreement’ can be misleading as it does not necessarily indicate an end to a conflict and it should be distinguished from a comprehensive political settlement. Ambiguity or indeterminacy is dangerous, even fatal, to a peace process.
It is very important that the terms of a ceasefire agreement be very clear and detailed in order to minimize the scope for accusations of violations. For this reason, it is often very helpful to have a’military technical agreement’ governing the details of how to implement and manage a ceasefire agreement.
The US-brokered ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza is an example of this. It has been negotiated in three stages, with the first stage to last for 6 weeks and to see a significant increase in humanitarian access for displaced families in Gaza. During this time, Israel will release some hostages, including the two young children of the Bibas family who have been reported as dead and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.