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T reprieve brought by the ceasefire in Gaza is profound. In Israel, the freeing of the living hostages has sparked extensive joy. Throughout Gaza and the West Bank, festivities are also underway as approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are being freed – although anguish persists due to ambiguity about which prisoners are returning and where they will be sent. Throughout Gaza's northern regions, people can finally return to dig through rubble for the remains of an estimated 10,000 unaccounted-for individuals.

Truce Development Against Previous Doubts

Only three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire appeared remote. However it has come into force, and on Monday Donald Trump travelled from Jerusalem, where he was cheered in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he participated in a high-level peace conference of more than 20 world leaders, among them Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace initiated there is scheduled to proceed at a conference in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, successfully brokered this deal take place – despite, not because of, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Qualified by Previous Experiences

Aspirations that the deal marks the initial move toward Palestinian statehood are reasonable – but, considering past occurrences, somewhat optimistic. It offers no clear path to self-rule for Palestinians and threatens separating, for the immediate period, Gaza from the West Bank. Furthermore the total ruin this war has caused. The omission of any schedule for Palestinian self-governance in the presidential proposal gives the lie to vainglorious allusions, in his Knesset speech, to the “epochal beginning” of a “golden age”.

Donald Trump was unable to refrain from sowing division and making personal the deal in his speech.

In a time of ease – with the freeing of captives, halt in fighting and restart of aid – he opted to reframe it as a lesson in ethics in which he solely restored Israel’s prestige after purported betrayal by past US commanders-in-chief Obama and Biden. This despite the Biden administration twelve months prior having undertaken a comparable agreement: a ceasefire connected with aid delivery and future diplomatic discussions.

Genuine Autonomy Crucial for Authentic Resolution

A proposal that withholds one side genuine autonomy cannot produce sustainable agreement. The halt in hostilities and humanitarian convoys are to be welcomed. But this is not currently political progress. Without systems guaranteeing Palestinian participation and authority over their own organizations, any deal threatens perpetuating oppression under the rhetoric of peace.

Relief Imperatives and Recovery Hurdles

Gaza’s people crucially depend on relief assistance – and nutrition and medication must be the initial concern. But reconstruction must not be delayed. Within 60 million tonnes of debris, Palestinians need assistance restoring homes, learning institutions, healthcare facilities, mosques and other establishments shattered by Israel’s incursion. For Gaza’s provisional leadership to thrive, financial support must be disbursed rapidly and protection voids be addressed.

Comparable with much of Donald Trump's diplomatic proposal, allusions to an multinational security contingent and a recommended “peace council” are disturbingly unclear.

International Support and Future Prospects

Substantial global backing for the Palestinian Authority, permitting it to take over from Hamas, is likely the most promising scenario. The enormous suffering of the past two years means the humanitarian imperative for a resolution to the conflict is possibly more pressing than ever. But while the truce, the homecoming of the captives and commitment by Hamas to “demilitarise” Gaza should be recognized as positive steps, Mr Trump’s history offers minimal cause to trust he will fulfill – or feel bound to attempt. Temporary ease does not imply that the possibility of a Palestinian state has been advanced.