Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Pyrrhic peace: On the Hamas-Israel ceasefire

​Pyrrhic peace: On the Hamas-Israel ceasefire

A united administration (प्रशासन, सरकार) under the Palestinian Authority must be in place (स्थापित, लागू, तैयार)

After 15 months of war, which saw the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the destruction of much of Gaza (a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt) and multiple rounds of painstaking negotiations (वार्ता, बातचीत), Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire (युद्धविराम). As soon as the news was out, thousands ventured out on the streets in Gaza, hoping that the daily bombardment (bombing, shelling (continuous attack)) and shelling would come to an end (to finish; to reach an end; to become completed). Uncertainty (अनिश्चितता) still lingered (बना रहना, देर तक रहना), but both sides resolved their last-minute differences (मतभेद, असहमति) over details about Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and the names of the hostages (बंधक) to be released on day one and the ceasefire came into force on Sunday (January 19, 2025). This is not a permanent end to the war. But given (considering, taking into account, bearing in mind) the violence that Israel and Gaza have witnessed since October 7, 2023, even a pause (stop, cease, halt, discontinue, break off, hold back) in the war is a great relief, especially for Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians. The agreement is expected to be implemented in three phases. In the first phase, Hamas will release 33 hostages, while Israel will release about 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners (security prisoner is defined as “A prisoner who was convicted and sentenced for committing a crime, or who is imprisoned on suspicion of committing a crime, which due to its nature or circumstances was defined as a security offense or whose motive was nationalistic). The second phase would see more exchanges of hostages and prisoners and both sides are required to announce a permanent end to the hostilities. The third phase will involve discussions on the ‘day after’, including who should be in charge of (at the helm of, responsible for, in control of) Gaza.

As of now, both sides stay focused on phase one. Trouble could arise when negotiations for the next phases begin. When Israel launched the war, it set two objectives (उद्देश्य, लक्ष्य) for itself — the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages. In 15 months of war, Israel has degraded (reduce, devalue, deteriorate, degenerate) Hamas’s militant (radical, fanatic, extremist, fundamentalist, sectarian, partisan) infrastructure (बुनियादी ढांचा), but the group has survived and reinvented itself as an insurgency (विद्रोह). According to Antony Blinken, the outgoing (departing, retiring, leaving) U.S. Secretary of State, Hamas recruited as many fighters as it had lost during the war. Israel’s inability to destroy Hamas or secure the release of the hostages through the offensive (attack, assault, onslaught, raid, act of war, incursion, invasion) raises serious questions about the IDF’s military tactics in Gaza. This could probably (शायद, संभवतः) be one of the factors that persuaded (influence, convince, induce, prompt (someone to do something through reasoning/analysis/thinking/justification/rationalization)) Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire. But he has not committed (प्रतिबद्ध, समर्पित) to bringing the war to an end. Hamas, on the other side, demands a complete withdrawal (retreat, pullout, pullback, disengagement, departure (of military troops from an area of conflict)) of Israel from Gaza. Despite the possible roadblocks (बाधा, रुकावट), the fact that (used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion) a ceasefire came into force is welcome (pleasing, agreeable, favourable, promising, much needed) news. It provides a desperately (urgently, pressingly, intensely, eagerly; seriously, severely) needed relief for Gaza and a platform to build further talks (deliberation, discussion, discourse, dialogue, negotiation). Israel, Palestinians as well as the international mediators (negotiator, arbiter, intervenor, moderator, intermediary) should now work towards bridging the gaps in the post-war scenario (situation, background, context). Israel will not accept a situation that would leave Hamas as a ruling force (a person regarded as exerting power or influence) in Gaza. A more pragmatic (factual, actual, real, verifiable, practical, emperical, hands-on, experimental) solution is to form a united administration of all Palestinian factions under the leadership of the internationally recognised ((of a statehood) accepted, acknowledged, admitted, realized formally) Palestinian Authority, and then shift the focus towards the reconstruction of Gaza. But for this plan to work and peace to prevail (exist, be in existence, be present, be prevalent), Israel should be ready to withdraw all its troops from the Gaza Strip.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.ceasefire (noun)

Hindi Meaning - युद्धविराम
English Meaning - a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice.

2.administration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रशासन, सरकार
English Meaning - government, regime, leadership.

3.in place (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - स्थापित, लागू, तैयार
English Meaning - set up, ready, established.

4.negotiation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वार्ता, बातचीत
English Meaning - discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, talks, parley.

5.uncertainty (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनिश्चितता
English Meaning - unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness/precariousness.

6.linger (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बना रहना, देर तक रहना
English Meaning - continue, go on, carry on, persist, extend, remain, stay, last.

7.difference (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतभेद, असहमति
English Meaning - disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, dispute, quarrel, wrangle.

8.hostage (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बंधक
English Meaning - a person captured or held as security for the fulfilment of certain conditions/terms.

9.infrastructure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बुनियादी ढांचा
English Meaning - the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.

10.objective (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उद्देश्य, लक्ष्य
English Meaning - target, intention, purpose, goal/aim.

11.insurgency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विद्रोह
English Meaning - uprising, revolt, rebellion.

12.The U.S. Secretary of State (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अमेरिकी विदेश मंत्री
English Meaning - a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser.

13.probably (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - शायद, संभवतः
English Meaning - perhaps, maybe, possibly, likely, presumably, in all probability.

14.committed (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिबद्ध, समर्पित
English Meaning - obligated, pledged, steadfast, dedicated, concerned, purposeful.

15.roadblock (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बाधा, रुकावट
English Meaning - hindrance, obstruction.

16.pyrrhic (adjective)

English Meaning - meaningless, valueless, worthless, useless, profitless, pointless, futile, of no use, of no value (a pyrrhic victory is a victory that causes such a severe damage on the victor that it is equivalent to defeat).

17.truce (noun)

English Meaning - an ad-hoc (temporary/makeshift) arrangement, arrived at by the combatants (fighters), to pause the fighting.

18.cessation of hostilities (phrase)

English Meaning - it means that the combatants are willing to stop fighting and to restrain their forces.

19.Palestinian Authority (PA) (noun)

English Meaning - formally Palestinian National Authority, it is a self-declared State of Palestine, governing body of the Palestinian autonomous regions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip established in 1994 as part of the Oslo Accords peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

20.Gaza (noun)

English Meaning - a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.

21.painstaking (adjective)

English Meaning - careful, meticulous, attentive, scrupulous, exacting, demanding.

22.venture out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to go somewhere although you know that it might be dangerous.

23.bombardment (noun)

English Meaning - bombing, shelling (continuous attack).

24.come to an end (phrase)

English Meaning - to finish; to reach an end; to become completed.

25.come into force (phrase)

English Meaning - effective, in operation, in action, into effect.

26.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

27.pause (noun)

English Meaning - stop, cease, halt, discontinue, break off, hold back.

28.security prisoner (noun)

English Meaning - security prisoner is defined as “A prisoner who was convicted and sentenced for committing a crime, or who is imprisoned on suspicion of committing a crime, which due to its nature or circumstances was defined as a security offense or whose motive was nationalistic.

29.in charge of (phrase)

English Meaning - at the helm of, responsible for, in control of.

30.degrade (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, devalue, deteriorate, degenerate.

31.militant (adjective)

English Meaning - radical, fanatic, extremist, fundamentalist, sectarian, partisan.

32.reinvent oneself (verb)

English Meaning - to change yourself as a different kind/type of person.

33.outgoing (adjective)

English Meaning - departing, retiring, leaving.

34.offensive (noun)

English Meaning - attack, assault, onslaught, raid, act of war, incursion, invasion.

35.Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) (noun)

English Meaning - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are the armed forces of Israel, comprising the Israeli army, navy, and air force. it is was established in 1948 and commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Tzahal.

36.persuade (verb)

English Meaning - influence, convince, induce, prompt (someone to do something through reasoning/analysis/thinking/justification/rationalization).

37.bring to an end (phrase)

English Meaning - to stop, finish, or complete something.

38.withdrawal (noun)

English Meaning - retreat, pullout, pullback, disengagement, departure (of military troops from an area of conflict).

39.the fact that (phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.

40.welcome (adjective)

English Meaning - pleasing, agreeable, favourable, promising, much needed.

41.desperately (adverb)

English Meaning - urgently, pressingly, intensely, eagerly; seriously, severely.

42.talks (noun)

English Meaning - deliberation, discussion, discourse, dialogue, negotiation.

43.mediator (noun)

English Meaning - negotiator, arbiter, intervenor, moderator, intermediary.

44.bridge the gulf/gap (phrase)

English Meaning - try to find a way to reduce the gap and bring the two separate viewpoints together.

45.scenario (noun)

English Meaning - situation, background, context.

46.force (noun)

English Meaning - a person regarded as exerting power or influence.

47.pragmatic (adjective)

English Meaning - factual, actual, real, verifiable, practical, emperical, hands-on, experimental.

48.recognise (verb)

English Meaning - (of a statehood) accepted, acknowledged, admitted, realized formally.

49.prevail (verb)

English Meaning - exist, be in existence, be present, be prevalent.