Were anyone in doubt about what the tentative ceasefire agreed to by Israel and Hamas means to Gaza’s people, videos shot in the ruined territory speak volumes. In one, several Palestinian children dance with joy. In another, local journalists walk the darkened streets of Gaza city to announce the news to residents, illuminated only by the light of their mobile phones.
Each day of war in Gaza leaves a legacy of death, injury, trauma and destruction from which it will take survivors years to recover. For the remaining Israeli hostages, each day in captivity only adds to their physical hardship and psychological scars. Therefore, any respite from Israel’s relentless campaign of collective punishment for the brutal Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, should be welcomed. So too should be moves to release dozens of Israeli hostages and many more Palestinian detainees.
The next step is crucial, and that is to make sure that this ceasefire agreement not only holds but becomes the basis of a lasting and comprehensive peace deal. There are realistic reasons to believe that this can happen. Although Hamas and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face some harsh political realities once the guns fall silent – realities that could fuel evasion, delay or prevarication – the considerable will and personal investment of US President Donald Trump in this process, as well as the active engagement of dozens of countries, provides momentum for bringing this catastrophic conflict to an end.
The US, as Israel’s main backer, looks set to finally use its leverage to make this deal stick. Mr Trump’s announcement of an agreement came hours after he said he would probably travel to Egypt, and possibly Gaza, at the weekend. Sources told The National that he is planning to attend the signing of the deal reached in negotiations that began in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh on Monday. Israel’s Cabinet is to meet later today to ratify Mr Trump’s 20-point plan. Hamas too has given the deal a cautious welcome.
Context here is important. Although ceasefires have been reached – and breached – before, last month’s UN General Assembly showed how the dam had broken when it came to international support for Palestinian rights and a political solution to the decades-long occupation of Palestine. In particular, the recognition of Palestinian statehood by long-standing allies of Israel, such as France and the UK, revealed just how much the tide had turned. Most Arab and Islamic countries have made clear their settled position: Israeli recognition in return for a political process leading to Palestinian freedom and an end to occupation.
There are many obstacles ahead, not least the logistics of releasing hostages within 72 hours, securing the freedom of Palestinian detainees and making sure Israeli forces pull back to agreed perimeters, although more Palestinian territory will remain under Israeli control in the initial stages. Organising aid deliveries in a landscape bombed flat by two years of Israeli warfare is another major challenge. There is also the total lack of trust between the two sides to contend with. Mr Netanyahu and some of his Cabinet colleagues have repeatedly made clear their total opposition to a Palestinian state.
However, these thorny issues are all the more reason to build on the promise of this fragile truce. As this paper has argued many times, Hamas’s killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians and Israel’s aimless vengeance offered nothing good to both peoples. It’s time to end this war, and the occupation of Palestine, once and for all.
