End of Gaza Conflict Brings Real Relief, Yet the US President's Promise of a Era of Prosperity Rings Hollow

The relief resulting from the halt in hostilities in Gaza is profound. Across Israel, the liberation of captives held alive has led to widespread elation. Across Palestinian territories, celebrations are also underway as approximately 2,000 Palestinian inmates are being freed – even as anguish persists due to uncertainty about who is being freed and where they will be sent. In northern Gaza, residents can finally reenter sift through wreckage for the remains of an believed 10,000 those who have disappeared.

Truce Development Despite Prior Uncertainty

Just three weeks ago, the probability of a ceasefire seemed unlikely. However it has taken effect, and on Monday Donald Trump journeyed from Jerusalem, where he was applauded in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he participated in a high-level peace summit of more than 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The diplomatic roadmap begun there is set to advance at a meeting in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, managed to secure this deal happen – regardless of, not due to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Moderated by Past Precedents

Expectations that the deal signifies the first step toward Palestinian statehood are reasonable – but, considering historical precedent, rather hopeful. It provides no definite route to independence for Palestinians and risks splitting, for the near term, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the total ruin this war leaves behind. The omission of any timeline for Palestinian self-determination in the US initiative gives the lie to vainglorious mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “historic dawn” of a “era of prosperity”.

The US president was unable to refrain from polarising and making personal the deal in his speech.

In a moment of respite – with the liberation of detainees, ceasefire and resumption of aid – he opted to reframe it as a morality play in which he solely reinstated Israel’s honor after alleged disloyalty by former US presidents Obama and Biden. Notwithstanding the Biden administration a year ago having attempted a analogous arrangement: a truce tied to humanitarian access and eventual diplomatic discussions.

Substantive Control Crucial for Legitimate Peace

A plan that denies one side meaningful agency cannot produce authentic resolution. The halt in hostilities and humanitarian convoys are to be welcomed. But this is still not political progress. Without processes ensuring Palestinian engagement and command over their own organizations, any deal endangers freezing oppression under the rhetoric of peace.

Relief Imperatives and Reconstruction Challenges

Gaza’s people urgently require relief assistance – and nutrition and medication must be the primary focus. But rebuilding should not be postponed. Within 60 million tonnes of wreckage, Palestinians need support repairing residences, educational facilities, medical centers, places of worship and other organizations destroyed by Israel’s invasion. For Gaza’s interim government to thrive, financial support must arrive promptly and security gaps be filled.

Similar to much of Donald Trump's diplomatic proposal, references to an multinational security contingent and a recommended “diplomatic committee” are worryingly ambiguous.

Worldwide Endorsement and Future Prospects

Substantial worldwide endorsement for the Palestinian leadership, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is likely the most encouraging scenario. The enormous suffering of the recent period means the moral case for a resolution to the conflict is possibly more critical than ever. But while the ceasefire, the repatriation of the detainees and pledge 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 deliver – or consider himself obligated to endeavor. Temporary ease does not mean that the likelihood of a Palestinian state has been brought closer.