Israel’s October 10 ceasefire represents not peace but tactical adjustment—maintaining systematic genocide through starvation, territorial seizure and calculated violence under humanitarian pretext. At least 401 Palestinians killed since ceasefire began, including 67 children—two daily according to UNICEF—exposing the fraudulent “peace” narrative while Israel consolidates permanent occupation of 58% of Gaza’s territory.
Children Slaughtered at Two Per Day During So-Called Peace
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires confirmed that “yesterday morning, a baby girl was killed in Khan Younis by an airstrike, while the day before seven children were killed in Gaza City and the south.” Israeli pilots sat in air-conditioned cockpits dropping bombs deliberately killing children—twelve in single October 19 airstrikes—then returned home to hug their own children, indifferent to human havoc they wrought.
Two Gaza brothers aged 11 and 8 were killed by Israeli drone on November 29 while gathering firewood near school sheltering displaced people in Beit Suheila. The October 28 single-night massacre killed 104 Palestinians including 46 children following alleged Hamas ceasefire violation—which Hamas denied responsibility for. Israeli Foreign Ministry blamed “human shields” while Netanyahu characterized attacks as “retribution.”
An additional 100 children died from malnutrition and hypothermia during ceasefire—deaths deliberately inflicted through aid restrictions Israel maintains despite ceasefire terms. UN experts documented 738 Israeli ceasefire violations through December 12: 358 bombings and shellings, 205 civilian shootings, 37 residential area raids beyond “yellow line,” 138 property demolitions.
Amnesty International stated that Israeli forces “are still committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza by continuing to deliberately inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction”—including calculated impediments on humanitarian aid and lethal bombing of civilian targets, both prohibited by ceasefire agreement.
Yellow Line Establishes Permanent Israeli Control Over Majority Territory
Israel controls 58% of Gaza through “Yellow Line” withdrawal—unmarked boundary confining Palestinians to 42% of their territory. IDF Chief Eyal Zamir declared the Yellow Line “will be Israel’s new border” and “forward defence line” that Israel will not withdraw from—directly contradicting Trump’s plan specifying “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.”
Satellite imagery analysis documented 48 active Israeli military outposts east of Yellow Line, with 13 new outposts constructed since ceasefire primarily along the line, in eastern Khan Younis and near borders—physically altering geography to establish permanent presence. Forensic Architecture research revealed Israel doing “what it always does and historically has done best: establish facts on the ground, incrementally rather than spectacularly.”
Between October 10-15 alone, 93 residents attempting to return home were killed by Israeli army for crossing Yellow Line. Israeli forces shot 11 Abu Shaaban family members including seven children in Zeitoun when their vehicle allegedly crossed the unmarked line. The line has moved westward over one kilometer since ceasefire began, forcing silent displacement waves receiving minimal media attention.
Israel placed at least 27 yellow blocks west of originally marked line, physically seizing additional land while conducting explosive-laden vehicle demolitions of multiple residential buildings simultaneously, clearing areas preventing returns. Most of Gaza’s agricultural lands previously located beyond Yellow Line remain under Israeli control—blocking farmers’ access and preventing local food production rehabilitation.
Starvation Weapon Maintained Through Aid Obstruction
Despite ceasefire terms mandating 600 trucks daily, actual deliveries fall below half that number. Israel rejected over 107 humanitarian aid requests from more than 30 NGOs by early November. Only two of six crossings reopened under ceasefire agreement. From October 10 to December 17, only 8,568 trucks reached destinations—39% of allocated amount averaging 234 daily versus required 600.
Israel blocks essential nutritious foods including meat, dairy and vegetables crucial for balanced diet while allowing non-nutritious snacks, chocolate and crisps. Market prices remain out of reach: chicken costs $25, meat $20 per kilogram. One mother told UN workers she doesn’t take children to market “so they won’t see all the food available…if they go near market, she tells them cover their eyes.”
Major hospitals remain only partially functional requiring restoration, equipment and supplies to reach full operational capacity. Around 4,000 children await urgent medical evacuation including two-year-old Omyma “whose heart is failing because of congenital issue doctors in Gaza cannot treat. She needs surgery urgently to save her life.”
UN experts warned continuing failure ensuring UN directly manages aid delivery and distribution “is unacceptable and cannot be justified.” Deliberate starvation constitutes genocide act under 1948 Convention—Israel’s systematic prevention of adequate nutrition designed to bring about physical destruction of Palestinian population.
Western Complicity Enables Genocide Continuation Under Peace Facade
Trump defended October 28 strikes killing 104 Palestinians, stating “Israelis hit back, and they should hit back,” characterizing massacres as justified “retribution.” Vice President Vance maintained “ceasefire is holding” while dismissing hundreds of Palestinian deaths as “little skirmishes here and there.”
UN experts stated “there can be no lasting peace without accountability for crimes committed since 7 October 2023,” warning that “peace initiatives allowing one side to retain militarised control over Gaza would not end occupation but entrench it. Sadly, this is unfolding before our eyes.” They characterized arrangement as risking “adding insult to injury” after “two years of genocidal assault.”
This represents genocide by attrition—slow-motion destruction through starvation, territorial theft, and periodic massacres under humanitarian facade. Total Palestinian deaths reached 70,925 through December 21 including 20,179 children, with thousands more buried under rubble uncounted. Israel’s systematic destruction includes 282,000 housing units, 93% of schools, 63% of hospitals remaining non-functional as of December 9.
The calculated cruelty serves domination purpose: stripping Palestinians of agency, dignity and selfhood as people. This leads to desired community breakdown and social structure erasure enabling continuous absolute Israeli control—constituting crimes against humanity under international law regardless of psychological classification.
Conclusion: Permanent Occupation Normalized Through Ceasefire Theater
Palestinians who danced with joy when ceasefire announced hoped suffocating siege would lift, that food, medicine, clean water and winter clothing would flood in. Two months later they remain trapped in concentration camp conditions on 42% of their territory while Israel consolidates permanent control over majority, constructs military infrastructure, demolishes homes and continues killing children at systematic rate.
Quincy Institute expert Khaled Elgindy characterized Gaza as “split between indefinitely Israeli-ruled sector and massive concentration camp,” criticizing how “Security Council has normalised” this reality. The “peace plan” created facts on ground becoming “permanent realities” with risk of West Bank-style arrangement marked by extensive Israeli control.
Anyone believing Israel will honor peace plans misunderstands Zionist mind. For eight decades since grafting itself onto Palestine, Israel has never given consideration to genuine peace—only tactical adjustments enabling continued Palestinian dispossession and destruction. Current ceasefire represents latest iteration: genocide continues, tempo changed, lethal intent maintained.
Analysis based on Fawaz Turki from TRT World alongside extensive UN documentation and humanitarian organization reporting.
