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The reprieve resulting from the end of fighting in Gaza is profound. In Israel, the release of surviving detainees has sparked widespread elation. In Gaza and the West Bank, festivities have commenced as approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees are being freed – even as anguish remains due to uncertainty about which prisoners are returning and their eventual placements. Across northern Gaza, residents can at last return to sift through wreckage for the bodies of an estimated 10,000 missing people.

Ceasefire Emergence Despite Previous Doubts

Only three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire looked improbable. Yet it has come into force, 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 diplomatic gathering of over 20 world leaders, featuring Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace initiated there is set to advance at a assembly in the UK. The US president, cooperating with international partners, successfully brokered this deal take place – regardless of, not owing to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Aspirations for Sovereignty Qualified by Historical Realities

Aspirations that the deal signifies the initial move toward Palestinian statehood are comprehensible – but, in light of historical precedent, slightly idealistic. It provides no definite route to sovereignty for Palestinians and endangers separating, for the immediate period, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the utter devastation this war has produced. The absence of any timeline for Palestinian self-determination in the presidential proposal undermines boastful mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “historic dawn” of a “golden age”.

Donald Trump could not help himself sowing division and making personal the deal in his speech.

In a time of respite – with the hostage release, ceasefire and resumption of aid – he opted to reframe it as a lesson in ethics in which he alone reclaimed Israel’s honor after supposed treachery by past US commanders-in-chief Obama and Biden. Notwithstanding the Biden administration a year ago having tried a comparable agreement: a cessation of hostilities linked to aid delivery and future negotiations.

Meaningful Agency Vital for Legitimate Peace

A initiative that withholds one side substantive control cannot produce legitimate peace. The halt in hostilities and humanitarian convoys are to be welcomed. But this is still not diplomatic advancement. Without systems securing Palestinian involvement and control over their own establishments, any deal endangers cementing domination under the rhetoric of peace.

Humanitarian Priorities and Recovery Hurdles

Gaza’s people urgently require emergency support – and food and medicines must be the primary focus. But reconstruction must not be delayed. Among 60 million tonnes of rubble, Palestinians need assistance repairing residences, schools, healthcare facilities, mosques and other organizations devastated by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s transitional administration to succeed, funding must arrive promptly and safety deficiencies be filled.

Comparable with a great deal of Mr Trump’s peace plan, mentions to an global peacekeeping unit and a proposed “board of peace” are disturbingly unclear.

Worldwide Endorsement and Prospective Outcomes

Robust international support for the Gaza's governing body, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is probably the most hopeful scenario. The enormous suffering of the past two years means the humanitarian imperative for a solution to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But even as the halt in fighting, the return of the hostages and vow by Hamas to “demilitarise” Gaza should be acknowledged as positive steps, Mr Trump’s record gives little reason to believe he will deliver – or consider himself obligated to attempt. Short-term relief should not be interpreted as that the prospect of a Palestinian state has been advanced.