Israel announced that it would cease fire with Lebanon for ten days after weeks of bombings in the southern Lebanon, which killed over 2,000 and forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes.
Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, the Prime Minister, has pledged to maintain Israeli troops in Southern Lebanon for a “security zone” of ten kilometers, raising questions immediately about whether or not the ceasefire will actually stop Israeli strikes against Hezbollah.
Israeli forces continued airstrikes against Hezbollah and targeted assassinations after a ceasefire ended in 2024, ending 13 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
It is common for people to bind events, such as wars, with dates and years. This makes historical events easier to comprehend and gives the illusion that they are all neatly arranged, complete with beginnings, middles, and final ends.
In reality, war is messy and complex.
These boundaries are often man-made.
Even after the ceasefire is implemented or an agreement for peace has been reached, war dynamics continue.
Such agreements have a paradoxical effect: They may end one phase, but they will inevitably bring about another.
Residents of Beirut’s waterfront sit in their tents outside a temporary camp. Wael Hamzeh/EPA
Good and bad about ceasefires
As an example, consider Israel’s conflict in Gaza.
In October 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed to the Gaza Peace Plan. This was a deal of 20 points mediated by the Trump Administration.
Terms are vague, broad and aspirational. The deal was not without its benefits.
Israel reduced its bombardment of Gaza. Israeli prisoners in Israeli prisons were exchanged for the remaining Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023. Aid is now entering the Strip in a greater amount than it was during the conflict.
The agreement created negative effects and allowed many of the problems that were caused by war to persist.
After the agreement was signed, media and public attention began to shift away from Israel’s violence to other issues. In the aftermath of the deal, Israeli attacks continued almost daily, though with less attention.
Israeli-supported violence in the West Bank against Palestinians has increased.
Palestinians prostrate themselves over bodies believed to be victims of an Israeli airstrike that took place in central Gaza Strip early in April. Haitham Imad/EPA
The level of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip is also far below what was agreed upon in the peace accord. Serious discussions on the future development or governance of Gaza, as mandated by the peace agreement in various points, remain uncertain amidst the chaos of wars around the world.
In Iran we can observe similar dynamics, just a few days after the US signed another vaguely-worded ceasefire with the Iranian regime.
The regime appears to have used the two-week period of “peace”, which was announced by the president, as an opportunity to suppress internal dissension. In what seems to be a bid to improve its position in future negotiations, Trump’s administration launched a blockade on Iranian ports.
A short-term ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel could offer some relief to Lebanese civilians. It may give Israel a week of quiet away from media attention to strengthen its military occupation in southern Lebanon.
Israel Katz, Minister of Defence for Israel, said that the Israeli military will demolish Lebanese buildings near the border to create Israel’s zone of security and stop displaced Lebanese returning home. Netanyahu said that Israeli troops will remain.
A ceasefire agreement can make it easier to achieve all of this.
Attention spans are short
Around the world, there are dozens of nations that are experiencing conflict. People regularly scan the news to stay informed, and see how these wars are evolving and the casualty numbers.
The glamorization of horror is part of our “headline-culture”, which encourages clickbait and sensationalized content. This also implies that public attention to a conflict may not be driven by its scale, but rather by media coverage.
Digital media has given us a persistent and proximate view of the suffering of humans and their deaths. This does not translate to ongoing attention or action.
It is important to know whether parties in a conflict reach a peace or ceasefire agreement. Once a peace agreement is reached, the media’s attention and that of the public often turns to more important (but also “active”) conflicts. You have a wide variety of conflicts to choose from.
We tend to ignore or misreport what happens after a ceasefire agreement or a peace accord because we think that the conflict is “over”.
On April 16, 2026, a child looks for recyclable items in a landfill next to a tent-camp housing Palestinian refugees, located at Deir al-Balah. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Peace Agreement Paradox
Peace agreements and ceasefires are not necessarily a sign of the end of a conflict or an ending to it.
The parties involved in these agreements are becoming increasingly aware of this paradox, and they are adjusting their calculations to reflect it.
We need to understand what ceasefires, peace agreements and other forms of peacemaking mean to millions of people living in a volatile and complex world. And we must continue to monitor them long after they are signed.
