Gaza, Three Years On: A Truce Without Peace as UN Chief Calls for Permanent Ceasefire

A year after a ceasefire was announced, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says it has brought some relief but no security, too little aid and no credible path to recovery.

GAZA / NEW YORK — Three years ago, on October 7, 2023, Hamas-led fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign that left most of Gaza in ruins. The anniversary passed this week with grief on both sides and the territory still in crisis.

In a statement ahead of the anniversary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the Hamas attack abhorrent. He also described the massive loss of life, displacement and destruction that followed in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 74,200 people have been killed in Israel’s campaign, a figure the United Nations considers reliable.

“It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent.”

— UN Secretary-General António Guterres

A ceasefire in name

The truce that took effect in October 2025, announced by President Donald Trump, was meant to end the war. It has reduced the fighting, but it has not ended it. Guterres said the ceasefire has not delivered security, adequate humanitarian aid or a credible way forward for Gaza’s population. Israeli strikes continue despite the agreement.

The central dispute is over weapons. Israel still controls most of the territory and says it will not withdraw its troops until Hamas’s disarmament has been verified. Hamas prefers a gradual process over an immediate handover of arms. Until one side moves, the ceasefire stays incomplete.

The World Health Organization describes Gaza’s health situation as critical. The needs of almost two million people remain overwhelming. The agency is calling for an uninterrupted flow of supplies, restored health services and open medical corridors for patients who need treatment abroad.

A region at war

Gaza is now only one part of a wider conflict. Since 2023, Israel has invaded southern Lebanon to fight Hezbollah. Since late February, it has been at war with Iran alongside the United States. This regional war has drawn attention and resources away from Gaza’s reconstruction, which has barely begun.

It is also straining relationships that once seemed stable. This week, the United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020, revoked landing permits for Israeli airlines. Repatriation flights from Dubai were cancelled, leaving many Israeli travellers stranded.

GAZA: THE TIMELINE

• Oct 7, 2023: Hamas-led attack on Israel
• Oct 2025: Ceasefire announced by US
• Feb 2026: US–Israel war with Iran begins
• Oct 2026: UN urges permanent truce

The search for a political path

Guterres repeated the UN’s long-standing position: Gaza’s future requires respect for international law and a political path to lasting peace across the whole region. In practice, that means an eventual Palestinian state alongside Israel. That goal has rarely looked further away.

At their New Delhi summit in September, BRICS leaders backed humanitarian access to Gaza and continued support for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. But statements from capitals have so far done little to change conditions on the ground.

For Gaza’s two million people, the anniversary was not a time for reflection but a reminder that their suffering continues. Most are displaced, many live in tents, and children have now missed three years of normal schooling. A permanent ceasefire, Guterres argues, would be only the first step. The harder work of rebuilding homes, hospitals and trust has not yet started.

— Aalimi Nation International Desk

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