After weeks of bombardments in southern Lebanon that have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million residents, Israel has announced a ten-day ceasefire with Lebanon.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep Israeli troops in southern Lebanon to create a ten-kilometre 'security zone', raising immediate questions about whether the ceasefire would actually stop Israeli attacks against Hezbollah.
The ceasefire may offer Lebanese civilians some level of reprieve, but it may also provide Israel with a quiet week away from the media spotlight to reinforce its military occupation of southern Lebanon.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would demolish buildings in Lebanese towns near the border and prevent displaced Lebanese from returning to their homes, making it easier for Israel to create its security zone.
The ceasefire paradox highlights the complexities of war, where even after a deal is signed, many dynamics of war continue, and the agreement may usher in another phase of conflict.
This is not a tidy end to the war, and global attention should not shift away from the ongoing conflict and Israeli occupation.
