The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire seems to be holding, but Gaza sees no end to war

A US-France-brokered ceasefire agreement to the 14-month conflict between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that came into power on Wednesday morning seems to be holding. But for Palestinians in Gaza – and the families of hostages still held there – the deal's failure to end fighting in the devastated enclave has been a bitter blow.

For many across the Middle East, the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire came as a relief: the first major sign of progress in the region since war began more than a year ago.

But for Palestinians in Gaza and families of hostages held in the territory, the news appeared only to inaugurate a newer, grimmer period of the conflict there. For them, it marked yet another missed opportunity to end fighting that has stretched on for nearly 14 months.

“We feel this is a missed opportunity to tie in the hostages in this agreement that was signed today,” said Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay Chen, was taken hostage from an Israeli military base and has been declared dead.

As much as they were intertwined, the two wars have been very different. In Lebanon, Israel said its aim was to drive Hezbollah back from the countries’ shared border and end the militant group's barrages into northern Israel. The ceasefire that took effect Wednesday is intended to do that.

Read more on FRANCE 24 English

Read also:
Iran welcomes end of Israel's 'aggression' in Lebanon as ceasefire comes into force
Explainer: What we know about the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal
'Diplomacy finally gets a win': Papers react to ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah