A ceasefire (also known as a truce),[1] also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'),[2] is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party.Ceasefires may be intended to meet short-term limited needs (such as providing humanitarian aid), manage a conflict to make it less devastating, or advance efforts to peacefully resolve a dispute.There are accounts that claimed the unofficial ceasefire took place throughout the week leading to Christmas, and that British and German troops exchanged seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches.The decision came after Henry Kissinger, the National Security Advisor to the President, returned to Washington, D.C., from Paris, France, with a draft peace proposal.The Security Council set up the dedicated United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan, which mediated for an entire year as the fighting continued.After several UN resolutions outlining a procedure for resolving the dispute via a plebiscite, a ceasefire agreement was reached between the countries towards the end of December 1948, which came into effect in the New Year."[22] On November 21, 2023, Qatar announced that they had negotiated a truce between Israel and Hamas would pause Gaza fighting, allow for the release of some hostages and bring more aid to Palestinian civilians.[27][28][29] In May 2023, Donald Trump told the UK's GB news that as US president he would end the war within 24 hours, given that he had good relationships with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
British and German officers after arranging the German handover of the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
and the surrounding area, negotiated during a temporary truce, April 1945
Christmas Eve Ceasefire Vigil at the
White House
in Washington, D.C. on 24 December 2023