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The reprieve resulting from the halt in hostilities in Gaza is profound. Within Israeli borders, the release of surviving detainees has led to widespread elation. In Gaza and the West Bank, festivities are taking place as approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees start to be released – even as anguish remains due to doubt about who is being freed and their eventual placements. In northern Gaza, people can now go back to sift through wreckage for the remnants of an estimated 10,000 missing people.

Peace Breakthrough Despite Earlier Odds

As recently as three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire appeared remote. Yet it has been implemented, and on Monday Donald Trump departed Jerusalem, where he was hailed in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he joined a high-powered diplomatic gathering of more than 20 world leaders, featuring Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace launched at that summit is due to be continued at a assembly in the UK. The US president, working alongside international partners, successfully brokered this deal take place – despite, not because of, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Aspirations for Sovereignty Moderated by Previous Experiences

Hopes that the deal signifies the initial move toward Palestinian statehood are comprehensible – but, given previous instances, rather hopeful. It provides no definite route to sovereignty for Palestinians and endangers dividing, for the immediate period, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the complete destruction this war has produced. The lack of any schedule for Palestinian autonomy in Mr Trump’s plan contradicts vainglorious mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “historic dawn” of a “age of abundance”.

The US president could not resist sowing division and making personal the deal in his speech.

In a period of ease – with the hostage release, ceasefire and resumption of aid – he decided to reinterpret it as a morality play in which he alone reclaimed Israel’s prestige after purported disloyalty by previous American leaders Obama and Biden. This even as the Biden administration previously having tried a analogous arrangement: a truce connected with humanitarian access and eventual negotiations.

Meaningful Agency Crucial for Authentic Resolution

A proposal that denies one side meaningful agency cannot yield authentic resolution. The ceasefire and aid trucks are to be welcomed. But this is not yet policy development. Without systems guaranteeing Palestinian involvement and command over their own establishments, any deal risks perpetuating subjugation under the rhetoric of peace.

Aid Necessities and Reconstruction Challenges

Gaza’s people crucially depend on relief assistance – and sustenance and pharmaceuticals must be the initial concern. But restoration cannot wait. Within 60 million tonnes of debris, Palestinians need assistance restoring dwellings, educational facilities, healthcare facilities, religious buildings and other institutions devastated by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s interim government to succeed, monetary resources must be disbursed rapidly and protection voids be addressed.

Similar to a great deal of Donald Trump's peace plan, mentions to an multinational security contingent and a recommended “diplomatic committee” are disturbingly unclear.

Worldwide Endorsement and Potential Developments

Substantial global backing for the Gaza's governing body, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is likely the most encouraging prospect. The immense hardship of the previous 24 months means the humanitarian imperative for a settlement to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But even as the ceasefire, the repatriation of the captives and commitment by Hamas to “remove weapons from” Gaza should be accepted as constructive moves, Donald Trump's track record provides scant basis to trust he will fulfill – or feel bound to try. Short-term relief should not be interpreted as that the prospect of a Palestinian state has been moved nearer.