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T respite following the halt in hostilities in Gaza is profound. Across Israel, the release of captives held alive has led to broad celebration. In Gaza and the West Bank, celebrations are also underway as up to 2,000 Palestinian detainees start to be released – though anguish remains due to ambiguity about which prisoners are returning and their eventual placements. Throughout Gaza's northern regions, people can at last reenter dig through rubble for the remnants of an approximated 10,000 missing people.

Peace Breakthrough Contrary to Earlier Odds

Only three weeks ago, the chance of a ceasefire looked improbable. But it has been implemented, and on Monday Donald Trump journeyed from Jerusalem, where he was applauded in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he joined a high-level diplomatic gathering of in excess of 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace initiated there is due to be continued at a conference in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, did make this deal happen – contrary to, not because of, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Qualified by Previous Experiences

Hopes that the deal signifies the first step toward Palestinian statehood are comprehensible – but, given historical precedent, somewhat optimistic. It lacks a transparent trajectory to independence for Palestinians and endangers dividing, for the near term, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the utter devastation this war has produced. The omission of any timeframe for Palestinian self-governance in the US initiative undermines boastful mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “epochal beginning” of a “era of prosperity”.

Donald Trump could not resist dividing and individualizing the deal in his speech.

In a period of respite – with the freeing of captives, halt in fighting and renewal of aid – he opted to reframe it as a lesson in ethics in which he alone reclaimed Israel’s dignity after purported treachery by previous American leaders Obama and Biden. This despite the Biden administration twelve months prior having tried a comparable agreement: a ceasefire linked to relief entry and future diplomatic discussions.

Genuine Autonomy Essential for Authentic Resolution

A plan that withholds one side meaningful agency is incapable of delivering sustainable agreement. The halt in hostilities and relief shipments are to be welcomed. But this is not yet political progress. Without systems guaranteeing Palestinian engagement and authority over their own institutions, any deal endangers cementing oppression under the language of peace.

Relief Imperatives and Rebuilding Obstacles

Gaza’s people desperately need emergency support – and nutrition and medication must be the first priority. But restoration should not be postponed. Amid 60 million tonnes of rubble, Palestinians need assistance reconstructing dwellings, educational facilities, hospitals, mosques and other organizations devastated by Israel’s incursion. For Gaza’s transitional administration to prosper, funding must be disbursed rapidly and protection voids be addressed.

Like a large portion of the president's diplomatic proposal, allusions to an international stabilisation force and a proposed “diplomatic committee” are alarmingly vague.

Global Backing and Future Prospects

Substantial global backing for the Palestinian Authority, permitting it to take over from Hamas, is likely the most hopeful possibility. The immense hardship of the recent period means the humanitarian imperative for a resolution to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But although the ceasefire, the repatriation of the hostages and pledge by Hamas to “disarm” Gaza should be accepted as favorable developments, Mr Trump’s history offers minimal cause to have faith he will accomplish – or consider himself obligated to endeavor. Immediate respite does not mean that the likelihood of a Palestinian state has been advanced.