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T reprieve brought by the halt in hostilities in Gaza is immense. In Israel, the liberation of captives held alive has resulted in extensive joy. Across Palestinian territories, festivities are also underway as as many as 2,000 Palestinian inmates are being freed – though distress remains due to ambiguity about who is being freed and their eventual placements. In northern Gaza, civilians can at last reenter dig through rubble for the bodies of an approximated 10,000 those who have disappeared.

Ceasefire Emergence Despite Previous Doubts

Just three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire looked improbable. Yet it has taken effect, and on Monday Donald Trump departed Jerusalem, where he was cheered in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he participated in a high-powered peace conference of over 20 world leaders, featuring Sir Keir Starmer. The peace initiative initiated there is set to advance at a conference in the UK. The US president, working alongside international partners, successfully brokered this deal come to fruition – regardless of, not due to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Qualified by Previous Experiences

Aspirations that the deal represents the initial move toward Palestinian statehood are understandable – but, given historical precedent, somewhat optimistic. It offers no clear path to independence for Palestinians and risks dividing, for the near term, Gaza from the West Bank. Furthermore the total ruin this war leaves behind. The absence of any timeline for Palestinian autonomy in the presidential proposal contradicts vainglorious allusions, in his Knesset speech, to the “historic dawn” of a “age of abundance”.

The American leader was unable to refrain from polarising and making personal the deal in his speech.

In a period of relief – with the hostage release, halt in fighting and renewal of aid – he chose to recast it as a ethical drama in which he alone reclaimed Israel’s prestige after alleged betrayal by past US commanders-in-chief Obama and Biden. Notwithstanding the Biden administration a year ago having undertaken a similar deal: a cessation of hostilities connected with humanitarian access and eventual political talks.

Meaningful Agency Essential for Authentic Resolution

A plan that refuses one side substantive control cannot produce sustainable agreement. The ceasefire and aid trucks are to be embraced. But this is not currently diplomatic advancement. Without mechanisms securing Palestinian engagement and control over their own establishments, any deal risks cementing oppression under the discourse of peace.

Aid Necessities and Rebuilding Obstacles

Gaza’s people crucially depend on relief assistance – and sustenance and pharmaceuticals must be the initial concern. But rebuilding cannot wait. Amid 60 million tonnes of wreckage, Palestinians need help repairing dwellings, schools, medical centers, mosques and other organizations destroyed by Israel’s incursion. For Gaza’s provisional leadership to thrive, monetary resources must be disbursed rapidly and safety deficiencies be filled.

Like a large portion of Donald Trump's diplomatic proposal, mentions to an international stabilisation force and a proposed “peace council” are worryingly ambiguous.

Global Backing and Future Prospects

Robust global backing for the Palestinian leadership, permitting it to succeed Hamas, is perhaps the most encouraging possibility. The enormous suffering of the recent period means the ethical argument for a settlement to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But even as the ceasefire, the return of the hostages and pledge by Hamas to “remove weapons from” Gaza should be recognized as favorable developments, Donald Trump's history gives little reason to believe he will deliver – or deem himself compelled to try. Immediate respite does not imply that the prospect of a Palestinian state has been moved nearer.