On Jan. 19, a ceasefire deal went into effect in Gaza, allegedly putting a stop to the horrific genocide and colonial violence being enacted by Israel against Palestinians. The ceasefire purportedly meant Israel’s retreat from Gaza, the return of Palestinian hostages and prisoners, and allowing in aid, in exchange for the return of Israeli hostages by Hamas. The actual reality of what has happened since is very different. 

I worry that we have become too complacent, lured by the term “ceasefire” into a false sense that that word somehow equates to liberation or even the idea that Palestinians are able to start rebuilding their lives. Neither of those are the case. A ceasefire, if abided by, should allow Palestinians to begin receiving aid and not be under constant threat from the Israeli government. We know that is not currently the case, nor has that ever been the case since 1948. Israel has violated the terms of the agreement time and again and now seeks to push their own interests even further. And by pulling back and relaxing the amount of pressure being exerted against Israel and the U.S., we are letting them.

Currently, the ceasefire plan is in a tumultuous, supposedly transitional phase. The first phase of the plan was intended to conclude on March 2, but, in a last-minute pitch, Israel proposed an extension, which Hamas vehemently rejected. Spokesman Hazem Qassem stated that they believe Israel’s attempts to extend the first phase are so they can retrieve as many hostages as possible while keeping the option of restarting the genocide in Gaza open. In retaliation, Israel has blocked aid trucks from entering Gaza, violating one of the main stipulations of the ceasefire deal. They have also continued to murder Palestinians at every step of this process. Due to Israel’s existence as a settler-colonial project founded on the genocide of Indigenous people and patterns of horrific violence, it is not a shock that at every turn, Israel has found ways to violate this ceasefire. We must remember that this is not over. We must maintain critical attention and action.

Alongside these violations of the ceasefire, Israel has also refocused its annihilation agenda on the West Bank. The Israeli Occupation Forces have displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians, particularly targeting Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and Farea refugee camps, with orders to keep people from returning. They have brought tanks in for the first time in 20 years, the last time being during the second intifada, which is Arabic for uprising. The Israeli Occupation Forces intend to have a heavy military presence in the area for at least a year. A tactic of colonial forces, with Israel being no exception, is targeting survival resources such as water, infrastructure, and homes in pursuit of creating more military routes. As of March 4, at least 89 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by the IOF since the start of 2025, but it is possible that the number is higher. Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has arrested more than 14,500 Palestinians in the West Bank, many of whom are held under the guise of “administrative detention,” meaning they can be detained without trial or charge, effectively making them hostages. Violence from Israeli settlers has increased as well, a force of colonialism that imperialist entities rely on to further their project. Where is the outrage? 

In the fight for a fully liberated Palestine where Palestinians have a right to self-determination and safety, we cannot view the West Bank and Gaza as separate entities. The material and historical realities of Gaza and the West Bank are different, and it is important to acknowledge them, as are the methods of warfare and subjugation that Israel uses in the two areas. But histories of colonization and settler violence seek to destroy that connection in pursuit of destroying the idea of a Palestinian identity. We must reject that. At the root, however, the intention and machine are the same. In the Boiler Room documentary “Palestine Underground,” Palestinian DJs and musicians bring to life the role of music and communal music spaces in uniting Palestinians across the separation wall that divides those living in the West Bank from those living in Occupied Palestine (“Israel”). Their work highlights the necessity of Palestinian connection in the face of Israeli division and subjugation, a vision that everyone invested in Palestinian liberation should be inspired by. The Palestinian identity is not divided by borders, despite all attempts to make it so, and neither is the struggle. It would be a failure to allow our attention to be divided along these lines. If we do, it would be reinforcing the very systems we seek to destroy. 

I recognize that, with Trump now in office, we are in a different political reality than before. We are rightfully focusing on our local communities and how we can support one another when our neighbors and loved ones are being targeted. This is important. However, this violence is intimately connected to the violence that Palestinian people are being subjected to. The work we are doing within the imperial core to support one another must happen in tandem with supporting liberation struggles globally, regardless of who is in power. When we see these moments of horror as not isolated incidents or circumstances but instead as limbs of the same larger body of Western colonial and supremacist power, we not only open up places for solidarity and shared struggle, but also begin to view ourselves as reliant upon each other for our collective liberation. It reminds us that we are not alone and that people have always been doing this work. Resistance has always and will always exist. 

In January 2024, a Palestinian organizer said at a rally: “Every day we must recommit ourselves to the cause. Ask yourself what you have done for Palestine today, what you will do tomorrow, and the day after that.” I urge us all to think of this question. Despite whatever platitudes we choose to tell ourselves about decreased bloodshed, Palestinians are still being killed, and we are still complicit. Our money is still going toward this genocide. The U.S. military and the global war machine it greases continue to contribute to imperialism and violence all over the world and within the U.S. colonial borders. Our tuition and Oberlin’s endowment are still invested in funds that hold ties to Israel and the occupation. None of this has materially changed; those in power have just banked on us forgetting and adapting to this reality. We cannot let that happen. We must continue to hold ourselves and each other accountable. We must continue to engage with fundraising efforts and redistribution of our wealth to Palestinians. We must continue to talk about Palestine and the violence people in the West Bank. We must continue to disrupt the U.S. war machine in all of its manifestations. We must continue to pressure Oberlin College and other institutions to align with the values they claim to hold and divest from Israel and all investments in war and weapons manufacturers. That has not changed and will not change until we see a free and liberated Palestine from the river to the sea.