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Reflections from our Pastors
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Has the Gaza ceasefire been broken?
Israel’s war on Gaza, described by international organizations and a United Nations commission as a genocide, has killed more than 68,000 people and wounded 170,200 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people died in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and nearly 200 were taken captive.
Recently, a long-awaited ceasefire agreement was signed. This fragile truce was brokered by the United States and mediated with the help of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. It came into effect on October 10, 2025.
The conditions included:
· An end to hostilities in Gaza by both Israel and Hamas
· Israel lifting its blockade of all aid entering Gaza and stopping its interference in its distribution
· Hamas releasing all captives held in Gaza, alive or dead
· Israel releasing some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and disappeared people
· Hamas removing itself from Gaza’s governance, which would be in the hands of a technocratic government
· Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza in stages
· Hamas disarming under the agreement, with amnesty for some members and safe passage to other countries for others.
With forces still warring, onlookers ask, “Is there still a ceasefire?”
US President Trump has said the ceasefire is still in effect, reiterating that US officials would ensure the situation is “very peaceful”.
After Israeli attacks killed dozens on Sunday, the Israeli army said a ceasefire in Gaza had resumed, in addition to aid inflow.
Hamas has maintained that it remains committed to abiding by the ceasefire terms and working towards lasting peace.
Munther Isaac, a pastor and a Palestinian living in the West Bank, tells us that “even as politicians congratulate themselves on achieving “peace,” the machinery of occupation continues its cruel rhythm. Truth must be spoken plainly. A ceasefire is not peace. A pause in the killing, while apartheid continues, is not peace. A plan that ignores justice and accountability is not peace. Without justice, peace will always be an illusion. Peace without justice is merely the continuation of war by quieter means.” Isaac continues, “What politicians are selling to the world is not peace; it is submission. It is the illusion of peace; it is a coercive peace where the powerful impose their will, dictate terms, and call it ‘stability.’ There is no mention of justice, no acknowledgment of war crimes, and no talk of reparations or accountability. The message is clear: Might makes right. The powerful rule, and the rest of us must accept.
As a pastor and a Palestinian living in the West Bank, I write with gratitude and grief. I am grateful that, for a moment, the people of Gaza can breathe. I am grateful for every life spared, for every child who can wake up to silence rather than explosions. I rejoice for those released from captivity—Palestinian and Israeli—and I mourn for those who did not return. I grieve deeply for the thousands who remain imprisoned, displaced, and exiled, denied even the dignity of mourning.” (as published in Sojourner’s Magazine, October 22, 2025)
May the Prince of Peace embrace all Israelis and Palestinians in the hope of peace for their nations. And may we remember all our siblings in Christ in our prayers for all souls who have gone to God, and those whose suffering continues here on earth.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen
Mother Rosean
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