Why are ceasefires not ceasing the fire?

The Middle East has been grappling with one conflict after another, leading to countless rounds of negotiations to end fighting.

But even when ceasefires are agreed to, the violence seems to continue, prompting many to question what a ceasefire even means.

The US signed two agreements in the span of about 10 days, the first being an understanding with Iran to end the war and the other a trilateral framework with Israel and Lebanon to stop the fighting involving Hezbollah.

In the weeks before these agreements, there had already been temporary ceasefires on both fronts. Still, parts of Lebanon remained under Israeli fire, and Iran attacked Arabian Gulf countries again over disputed shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile in Gaza, despite a ceasefire being in place since October, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people and the military has taken control of almost 70 per cent of the strip.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the discrepancy between the words on paper and the continued violence on the ground. She speaks to Daniel Levy, president of the US Middle East Project, and Jinan Bastaki, associate professor of legal studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.

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