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The respite following the halt in hostilities in Gaza is substantial. Within Israeli borders, the liberation of surviving detainees has sparked widespread elation. In Gaza and the West Bank, celebrations are taking place as as many as 2,000 Palestinian prisoners start to be released – although distress lingers due to ambiguity about which prisoners are returning and where they will be sent. Throughout Gaza's northern regions, civilians can finally return to sift through wreckage for the remnants of an approximated 10,000 missing people.

Truce Development Against Previous Doubts

Only three weeks ago, the probability of a ceasefire seemed unlikely. But it has taken effect, and on Monday Donald Trump journeyed from Jerusalem, where he was cheered in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he participated in a prestigious peace summit of over 20 world leaders, among them Sir Keir Starmer. The peace initiative begun there is due to be continued at a assembly in the UK. The US president, cooperating with international partners, successfully brokered this deal come to fruition – regardless of, 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 reasonable – but, given past occurrences, rather hopeful. It lacks a transparent trajectory to self-rule for Palestinians and endangers separating, for the immediate period, Gaza from the West Bank. Additionally the total ruin this war has caused. The omission of any schedule for Palestinian self-determination in the US initiative contradicts boastful allusions, in his Knesset speech, to the “monumental start” of a “era of prosperity”.

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

In a time of respite – with the liberation of detainees, ceasefire and resumption of aid – he chose to recast it as a ethical drama in which he solely reinstated Israel’s honor after alleged disloyalty by past US commanders-in-chief Obama and Biden. Notwithstanding the Biden administration a year ago having undertaken a analogous arrangement: a cessation of hostilities tied to relief entry and ultimate diplomatic discussions.

Meaningful Agency Crucial for Sustainable Agreement

A proposal that denies one side genuine autonomy cannot yield sustainable agreement. The truce and aid trucks are to be welcomed. But this is still not diplomatic advancement. Without processes ensuring Palestinian involvement and authority over their own establishments, any deal risks freezing subjugation under the rhetoric of peace.

Aid Necessities and Rebuilding Obstacles

Gaza’s people urgently require relief assistance – and nutrition and medication must be the primary focus. But restoration should not be postponed. Among 60 million tonnes of wreckage, Palestinians need help restoring homes, educational facilities, hospitals, mosques and other establishments shattered by Israel’s incursion. For Gaza’s transitional administration to prosper, funding must arrive promptly and safety deficiencies be addressed.

Similar to a great deal of Donald Trump's diplomatic proposal, allusions to an global peacekeeping unit and a proposed “peace council” are worryingly ambiguous.

Worldwide Endorsement and Potential Developments

Strong worldwide endorsement for the Palestinian Authority, permitting it to succeed Hamas, is likely the most encouraging prospect. The enormous suffering of the previous 24 months means the humanitarian imperative for a settlement to the conflict is potentially more urgent than ever. But even as the ceasefire, the repatriation of the hostages and pledge by Hamas to “demilitarise” Gaza should be recognized as constructive moves, Donald Trump's track record gives little reason to believe he will deliver – or feel bound to attempt. Temporary ease should not be interpreted as that the likelihood of a Palestinian state has been brought closer.