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The Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Agreement: Reactions and Insights

On April 16, 2026, the United States announced a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon to advance direct bilateral talks for a peace agreement. The American administration said in a statement that Israel would retain its right to self-defense, but the United States "prohibited" Israel from attacking in Lebanon; IDF forces remained in south Lebanon and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat. Two IDF soldiers were killed in two incidents after the start of the ceasefire; and reiterated its usual demands: an end to the "aggression," the withdrawal of IDF forces to the border, the release of Lebanese held in Israel, the return of the displaced and the reconstruction of the country. Hezbollah claimed that Iranian pressure helped achieve the ceasefire and warned President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam not to continue direct negotiations with Israel; Lebanese President Aoun claimed the ceasefire showed that Lebanon would determine its own fate and ignored Iran when he thanked the countries that helped stop the fighting. Parliament Speaker Berri reiterated Iranian assistance in achieving the ceasefire and his opposition to direct negotiations; Thousands of displaced civilians returned to south Lebanon despite warnings from the IDF and the Lebanese army, while residents of the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia admitted they were still afraid to return to their homes for fear of renewed fighting; In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah will continue to represent the ceasefire as a Hezbollah-Iran achievement while attempting to challenge IDF forces maintaining the agreement to be able to accuse Israel of "violating the agreement." At the same time, Hezbollah can be expected to escalate internal criticism against the Lebanese leadership, which will raise the tension in Lebanon between Hezbollah's supporters and opponents. The Lebanese government will try to use the momentum to advance direct talks with Israel and implement the state’s monopoly on weapons, especially applying its sovereignty in south Lebanon to convince the United States to pressure Israel to withdraw to the border.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 30 – April 14, 2026)

The IDF forces continued operations to locate terrorists and destroy weapons and infrastructure within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip. Terrorists who violated the ceasefire and planned terrorist attacks were eliminated, among them an al-Jazeera correspondent who belonged to Hamas' military wing and operatives involved in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre. Hamas accused Israel of targeting police checkpoints and security forces; A Hamas delegation held meetings in Cairo with the mediators, the Palestinian terrorist organizations and the Board of Peace high commissioner, Nikolay Mladenov. Hamas opposed beginning disarmament before Israel met all its commitments in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Ahead of the talks in Egypt, Hamas held meetings in Turkey with President Erdogan and other officials; A dispute arose between Hamas and commissioner Mladenov over the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip. The Hamas administration continues spreading propaganda claiming humanitarian distress; Hamas' security forces and armed militias receiving Israeli support clashed, and there were reports of clashes between operatives of militias opposed to Hamas; The organizers of the Global Resilience Flotilla announced the departure of a new international flotilla from the Port of Barcelona to the Gaza Strip; Incidents of Jewish terrorism against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria continue. A Palestinian was killed in clashes near an illegal outpost; The Palestinian Authority leadership welcomed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, adding that any regional arrangement had to include the Palestinian issue.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (March 29 – April 13, 2026)

The IDF forces continued military activity in Lebanon from the air and on the ground, eliminating terrorist commanders and operatives in Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations from the air, including the commander of Hezbollah's southern front. Six IDF soldiers were killed; During the past two weeks Hezbollah issued more than 660 claims of responsibility for attacking IDF forces in south Lebanon and civilian, military and security targets in Israel with rockets, missiles and UAVs. Hezbollah also claimed having launched a cruise missile at an Israeli navy vessel; it reportedly hit a British destroyer; Hezbollah secretary general claimed the capabilities of the "resistance" had surprised Israel, adding that they would continue fighting and would not return to the status quo ante of the current hostilities; Israel and Lebanon agreed to direct talks which will begin with a meeting of the ambassadors of the two countries in the United States under American oversight. Officials in the Lebanese administration demanded a ceasefire before the start of the formal negotiations; The Lebanese government's decision to implement the state's monopoly on weapons throughout Beirut and the announcement of direct negotiations with Israel exacerbated the tension with Hezbollah. The organization opposed talks with Israel and accused the government of acting against the "resistance" instead of fighting alongside it; Iran's leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said the Islamic Republic would continue to support the "resistance," and his senior advisor warned the Lebanese government of "irreversible dangers" if it did not recognize Hezbollah's role; According to the Lebanese ministry of health, more than 2,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the hostilities on March 2, 2026, and more than one million people have been displaced; Syrian authorities announced that they had arrested a Hezbollah-affiliated cell which was planning to attack a rabbi in Damascus.
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Spotlight on Terrorism – March 2026

During March 2026, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed in the wake of the American-Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. The Houthis also renewed their attacks on Israel. The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continued, while Hamas increased its governance in the areas under its control; Three terrorist attacks were carried out, killing one Israeli civilian, Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism measures in Judea and Samaria.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 24-30, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations to locate terrorists and destroy weapons, infrastructure and assets within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip and eliminated terrorist operatives who violated the ceasefire and planned attacks; The Board of Peace's high commissioner, Nikolay Mladenov, said that the first stage of the United States' 20-point plan had largely been completed, adding that the disarmament of Hamas was the only way to move forward toward reconstruction and an Israeli military withdrawal. Hamas and other armed terrorist organizations criticized the Board of Peace's disarmament plan; The Hamas security forces continued attacking "collaborators" and members of Israeli-supported militias; Hamas continued to promote propaganda of humanitarian distress despite the entry of enormous quantities of goods into the Strip; Settler terrorism continued in Judea and Samaria, and reportedly one person was killed by settler gunfire near an illegal outpost; The representative of the Palestinian Authority in France submitted her credentials to President Macron as ambassador of the "State of Palestine." 
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 17-24, 2026)

The spokesperson for the Hamas military wing praised the Iranian missile attacks on Israel, while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) tried to downplay the significance of reports about an Israeli attempt to target its senior figures in Tehran; Despite the deadlock in implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the mediators continue to try to persuade Hamas to disarm. The movement still refuses complete disarmament and is waiting for the end of the war in Iran; IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip to locate terrorists and destroy weapons and terrorist infrastructure and assets, and eliminated Hamas and PIJ terrorist commanders; The Rafah Crossing was reopened for the passage of Gazans. Despite the entry of humanitarian aid, Hamas continued to promote its "hunger" propaganda; Hamas continued to exploit the delay in implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement to tighten civilian and "security" governance in areas under its control; According to reports, because of "regional developments" Hamas will postpone the election for head of its political bureau to the end of the year; The vehicular ramming incident in which an 18-year-old Israeli was killed near Homesh is being investigated as a terrorist attack. Four residents of Umm al-Fahm were detained on suspicion of planning to carry out shooting attacks; This past week attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians in Judea and Samaria escalated.
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Hamas

Hamas is a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim organization founded in the Gaza Strip in 1987 by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It seeks to establish an Islamic state on the entire territory of the State of Israel and does not recognize Israel’s right to exist.


The Hamas leadership has two branches: the internal leadership, which includes the military wing and the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, responsible for the day-to-day activities of governing the Gaza Strip population, in addition to social, educational activity vis-à-vis the population of the Gaza Strip; and the external leadership, Hamas’s political bureau, located beyond the borders of the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria. The external leadership maintains relations with various countries and bodies, and deals mainly with raising money and finding other resources for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.


Hamas’s ideology seeks to establish an Islamic Palestinian state on the entire territory of Israel. The preferred way to achieve this goal is through armed struggle. Hamas has a military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which carries out terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and various kinds of other attacks (such as shooting, suicide bombings, abductions etc.) in the territories of Judea, Samaria and Israel.


Over the years, Hamas has challenged the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, causing conflicts between the sides, culminating in June 2007 with Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the suppression of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority members. Ever since, the rift between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has grown.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including Israel, the United States, and the European Union.