Gaza Ceasefire—A Needed Relief, But Struggle Must Continue For Lasting Peace & Liberation

After two years of genocidal slaughter in Gaza, the first pause in the fighting in more than six months has come into effect on October 10. Palestinians, as well as Israelis, have gone out in celebrations. Any pause in the slaughter is of course desperately needed. International Socialist Alternative, along with millions of working-class people around the world, have been campaigning to end the bloodshed from day one.

But we should be clear: this agreement, instead of providing a lasting relief or even “peace”—as the media across the world propagandistically claims—will normalize and cement the dictatorship of the occupation. It essentially means the surrender of the Palestinian national movement to Israeli capitalism and US imperialism. The Israeli army will control at least 50% of Gaza for a long time. This comes with the added insult of war criminal Tony Blair being proposed by Trump to a so-called “Board of Peace” to oversee the governance of the Strip. This agreement only sows the seeds for the next round of bloodshed.

Assuming it holds for a period, the ceasefire should lead to a certain easing of the humanitarian crisis, though this will still be partial and totally inadequate considering that the population has been systematically bombarded, murdered, starved, and denied life’s most basic necessities. A ceasefire can allow Palestinians the chance to come back together, to regroup, and to redevelop collective organizing and resistance.

Why Now?

The working class began to step decisively into struggle to end the war—in particular, the two general strikes in Italy, led by the courageous Genoa dock workers who threatened to “shut down Europe.” This action was backed by mass protests throughout Europe. When dock workers from across the continent met in September to discuss a Europe-wide general strike, a series of governments were put on the back foot. This is in addition to a million-strong protest in Bangladesh, 100,000 in the Netherlands, and many thousands in Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, and Pakistan. In Indonesia, the mass movement against the regime linked its demands to ending the war in Gaza.

Trump himself has driven the deal out of fear that the Israeli state has gone so far that all regimes seen as complicit in the genocide—especially in the Arab world—would be vulnerable to an overwhelming backlash, potentially with revolutionary characteristics. This includes his fear of the return of the mass movement in the US, which could link up with existing mass revulsion to his domestic anti-worker policies.

US imperialism has also become more worried about the instability of the Israeli regime itself. While Trump dragged Netanyahu to agree to the deal, the Israeli regime has been under mass popular pressure to reach a deal that would bring back the remaining Israeli hostages and put an end to the war. Alongside the international protests, the movement within Israel played a central role in forcing the ruling class to reach a deal.

Another key factor was also the botched Israeli attempt to assassinate Hamas’s top leaders while they were engaged in peace talks in Doha—on the soil of a key US ally. These types of actions by the Israeli regime threaten to destroy any hope of achieving what was on the cards before the October 7 Hamas attack: a “normalization” agreement in the region.

But Is The Deal Even A Deal?

Trump clearly intends that this deal will end the most intense phase of genocidal slaughter. But he has no intention of providing the Palestinians with any real guarantees for their future safety, let alone self-determination. Netanyahu’s political career, which was seen as doomed whenever this war ends, has possibly received a lifeline following the deal. The Israeli far right has been pushing to take direct control over Gaza, to exterminate and expel the Palestinian population, and to rebuild the strip with Jewish settlements. They now openly advocate for a resumption of the slaughter once the hostages have been returned.

All this means it is far from guaranteed that the Israeli regime will want to see this agreement through to the end. Indeed, it is inevitable that attacks on Palestinians will continue in Gaza. The ongoing violence and ethnic cleansing will continue and probably increase in the West Bank too.

All this emphasizes that we must continue to build and expand the mass movement in solidarity with the Palestinians all around the world. The campaign to break the siege should continue, to ensure Gazans have access to the levels of aid they really require—not the meager rations Israel plans to allow a starved and devastated people. We call for a new and bigger flotilla—this time backed up by a general strike across Europe and the Middle East, and mass demonstrations throughout the world, as an important next step.

We say:

Stop the genocide. For a permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation and the blockade. Dismantle all Israeli settlements in the West Bank. For an urgent and massive humanitarian response to end the crisis in Gaza.
Organize the mass opposition to the war across the Middle East into a huge, working class-led movement to break the siege, end surrounding Arab governments’ complicity with genocide and occupation, and overthrow dictatorial regimes that exploit and oppress their own populations.
No more arms for Israeli state terror. The workers’ movement around the world should use its strength to block the ongoing supply of weaponry and arms.
Reclaim the best traditions of the First Intifada. For mass Palestinian resistance across the occupied territories and inside the Green Line. Build democratic, working-class organizations to escalate struggle via mass demonstrations, general strikes, and, where necessary, armed self-defense.
Step up the anti-war movement in Israel and fight within it for a clear and comprehensive opposition to genocide, war, and occupation. Build links and solidarity between Israeli workers fighting back and Palestinian workers.
For revolutionary change throughout the Middle East to end Palestinian national oppression. No to Trump’s “Board of Peace.” Build the struggle for socialist change to provide peace, democracy, and national rights to self-determination for all the peoples of the region, including a free, socialist Palestine.