Gaza’s fragile ceasefire was back on track Wednesday, after Israel said it would halt a series of airstrikes that briefly raised doubts about whether the U.S.-brokered deal would hold.
The flare-up in hostilities on Tuesday was one of the worst since Israel and Hamas signed a truce in mid-October. It served as a reminder of the risks hanging over a deal U.S. President Donald Trump touted as the first step to stabilizing the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave and the wider Middle East.
In the few weeks since it got underway, the ceasefire has been tested by bouts of violence but ultimately stayed in place. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes in Gaza in retaliation for the killing of an Israeli soldier and Hamas’ failure to return the bodies of dead hostages within the agreed timeline.
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