A ceasefire agreement is a formal pause in the conflict, often accompanied by other political steps. It can be a temporary or a longer-term measure, and may cover a specific geographic area (eg a particular city) or the whole conflict. Ceasefires can be voluntary or imposed, and can involve both State parties and non-State actors. They can be formal or informal, and they can include provisions on the status of displaced persons. Ceasefire agreements can also set out the procedures for resumption of hostilities, including what constitutes a breach and how the parties will respond to violations.
In contemporary international armed conflicts, ceasefire agreements tend to be negotiated between the State Party and its regional or global allies. However, in non-international armed conflicts where State and non-State parties both retain arms and the capacity to resume hostilities, third party involvement is essential for achieving and sustaining a ceasefire. This can take the form of monitoring, verification and even enforcing the ceasefire militarily, as in the case of Resolution 687 (1991) concerning the Iraq-Kuwait War or Resolution 1701 (2006) concerning the Israel-Hisbollah conflict in Lebanon.
For this article, Perry World House asked Penn experts to give their thoughts on whether the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement will last, and what the next steps might be to achieving peace between Israel and Hamas. This is a summary of their responses.
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