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The respite resulting from the end of fighting in Gaza is immense. In Israel, the liberation of the living hostages has sparked widespread elation. Throughout Gaza and the West Bank, festivities are also underway as as many as 2,000 Palestinian detainees start to be released – though concern lingers due to doubt about which prisoners are returning and their eventual placements. In northern Gaza, people can now go back to search the debris for the bodies of an approximated 10,000 those who have disappeared.

Ceasefire Emergence Despite Prior Uncertainty

Only three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire looked improbable. However it has taken effect, and on Monday Donald Trump journeyed from Jerusalem, where he was hailed in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he attended a high-level diplomatic gathering of in excess of 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace begun there is scheduled to proceed at a conference in the UK. The US president, cooperating with international partners, successfully brokered this deal happen – contrary to, not because of, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Moderated by Previous Experiences

Hopes that the deal represents the initial move toward Palestinian statehood are comprehensible – but, given historical precedent, rather hopeful. It lacks a transparent trajectory to self-rule for Palestinians and risks splitting, for the near term, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the total ruin this war has caused. The lack of any timeline for Palestinian self-determination in the US initiative gives the lie to vainglorious mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “epochal beginning” of a “age of abundance”.

The American leader was unable to refrain from sowing division and personalising the deal in his speech.

In a time of ease – with the hostage release, ceasefire and renewal of aid – he opted to reframe it as a morality play in which he solely restored Israel’s dignity after alleged treachery by past US commanders-in-chief Obama and Biden. This despite the Biden administration previously having attempted a analogous arrangement: a cessation of hostilities tied to humanitarian access and future diplomatic discussions.

Meaningful Agency Crucial for Legitimate Peace

A initiative that withholds one side genuine autonomy cannot produce sustainable agreement. The ceasefire and relief shipments are to be applauded. But this is still not political progress. Without mechanisms ensuring Palestinian engagement and control over their own establishments, any deal risks cementing oppression under the rhetoric of peace.

Humanitarian Priorities and Rebuilding Obstacles

Gaza’s people desperately need humanitarian aid – and nutrition and medication must be the initial concern. But restoration cannot wait. Amid 60 million tonnes of rubble, Palestinians need help restoring residences, learning institutions, healthcare facilities, mosques and other organizations shattered by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s transitional administration to prosper, funding must be disbursed rapidly and protection voids be remedied.

Comparable with much of Mr Trump’s diplomatic proposal, allusions to an international stabilisation force and a proposed “peace council” are disturbingly unclear.

International Support and Prospective Outcomes

Robust worldwide endorsement for the Palestinian Authority, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is probably the most promising prospect. The tremendous pain of the recent period means the humanitarian imperative for a resolution to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But while the ceasefire, the homecoming of the detainees and pledge by Hamas to “disarm” Gaza should be acknowledged as favorable developments, the president's history offers minimal cause to believe he will accomplish – or deem himself compelled to try. Short-term relief does not mean that the likelihood of a Palestinian state has been moved nearer.