Truce in Gaza Brings Real Relief, However Trump's Assurance of a Golden Age Rings Hollow

T reprieve following the end of fighting in Gaza is profound. Within Israeli borders, the release of the living hostages has led to widespread elation. Across Palestinian territories, jubilations are taking place as up to 2,000 Palestinian detainees start to be released – even as distress remains due to doubt about the identities of those released and their destinations. In northern Gaza, people can now reenter search the debris for the bodies of an believed 10,000 missing people.

Peace Breakthrough Despite Earlier Odds

Only three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire seemed unlikely. But it has taken effect, and on Monday Donald Trump departed Jerusalem, where he was hailed in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he participated in a high-powered peace conference of over 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The peace initiative launched at that summit is set to advance at a assembly in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, did make this deal happen – despite, not due to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Tempered by Previous Experiences

Hopes that the deal signifies the first step toward Palestinian statehood are understandable – but, considering historical precedent, rather hopeful. It provides no definite route to sovereignty for Palestinians and endangers separating, for the immediate period, Gaza from the West Bank. Additionally the complete destruction this war leaves behind. The absence of any timeline for Palestinian self-governance in Mr Trump’s plan gives the lie to boastful allusions, in his Knesset speech, to the “historic dawn” of a “golden age”.

Donald Trump could not resist polarising and personalising the deal in his speech.

In a moment of relief – with the hostage release, halt in fighting and resumption of aid – he opted to reframe it as a lesson in ethics in which he solely reinstated Israel’s prestige after alleged disloyalty by former US presidents Obama and Biden. This despite the Biden administration a year ago having undertaken a comparable agreement: a ceasefire connected with aid delivery and eventual diplomatic discussions.

Substantive Control Essential for Legitimate Peace

A plan that withholds one side meaningful agency is incapable of delivering legitimate peace. The halt in hostilities and aid trucks are to be welcomed. But this is not yet diplomatic advancement. Without mechanisms guaranteeing Palestinian engagement and authority over their own establishments, any deal risks cementing domination under the rhetoric of peace.

Aid Necessities and Recovery Hurdles

Gaza’s people desperately need emergency support – and nutrition and medication must be the initial concern. But reconstruction cannot wait. Among 60 million tonnes of debris, Palestinians need assistance reconstructing homes, educational facilities, healthcare facilities, mosques and other establishments devastated by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s interim government to prosper, funding must flow quickly and protection voids be addressed.

Similar to a large portion of Donald Trump's diplomatic proposal, mentions to an multinational security contingent and a proposed “peace council” are worryingly ambiguous.

Global Backing and Future Prospects

Robust global backing for the Palestinian Authority, enabling it to replace Hamas, is perhaps the most encouraging prospect. The immense hardship of the previous 24 months means the ethical argument for a resolution to the conflict is potentially more pressing than ever. But even as the truce, the return of the captives and pledge by Hamas to “remove weapons from” Gaza should be accepted as favorable developments, Mr Trump’s track record gives little reason to believe he will fulfill – or consider himself obligated to attempt. Immediate respite should not be interpreted as that the prospect of a Palestinian state has been brought closer.