Middle East & Africa | A glimmer of hope
Photograph: Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
PEOPLE IN GAZA and Israel celebrated the start of a ceasefire and the return of three young women held hostage by Hamas on January 19th. The war, sparked by the Islamist movement’s attack on Israel in October 2023, has dragged on for more than 15 months. It is not about to end in a simple ceasefire. The best that can be hoped for is a protracted truce, during which Israel gradually withdraws its forces from the ravaged coastal strip.
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