CAIRO (AP) — A groundbreaking deal pause war in gaza reached. But will it last? US President Donald Trump Have we proclaimed “a strong, lasting, and everlasting peace”?
pressure was applied Israel and Hamas Participants from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey were killed, each claiming it was time to end the two-year war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. tens of thousands of Palestinianssparking other conflicts around the region and leaving Israel increasingly isolated.
This push resulted in a first phase agreement to release the remaining survivors. israeli hostage within days in exchange for the release of hundreds. imprisoned Palestinians by Israel.
But a long list of questions about what happens next was left unanswered.
israel wants ensure the disarmament of Hamas. Hamas says it wants to ensure that Israel completely withdraws its forces from the Gaza Strip and does not allow war to resume. At the same time, a postwar government for Gaza must be developed to replace Hamas rule. Until this is in place, reconstruction is unlikely to be possible and more than two million people in Gaza will be left in continued dire conditions.
There is no trust between the two sides, and many rely on continued pressure from the deal’s guarantors: the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye. If there is any delay in resolving these intertwined issues, everything could unravel and Israel could resume its campaign to annihilate Hamas.
Here’s what we know about this deal.
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Once Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet and the country’s parliament ratify the deal, expected on Thursday night, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip will begin, said Arab and Hamas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been made public.
The extent of the withdrawal has not yet been made public, but Hamas officials said troops would be moved from populated areas.
Hamas agrees to release 20 survivors hostage within daysProbably on Monday, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas also plans to hand over the remains of about 28 hostages believed to be dead, but this could take longer for logistical reasons.
At the same time, hundreds of aid trucks begin moving into Gaza, and their number will increase over time.
Negotiations for the next stage will then begin.
withdrawal of troops
Hamas has long maintained that it would not release the last hostage unless: Israeli forces completely withdraw from Gaza. Hamas says it is now relying on President Trump’s firm assurances that it will first agree to release it, followed by a complete withdrawal.
But it’s unclear whether that will take weeks, months or years.
Israel has talked about keeping troops within the Gaza Strip and in the Gaza Strip buffer zone. Philadelphia Corridor r, a strip of land on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Israel is unlikely to relinquish these areas unless Hamas is disarmed and the vacuum left in Gaza operations is filled by an organization that Israel deems satisfactory.
Ann Original 20 point plan President Trump last week called for Arab-led international security forces to enter Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. He said Israeli forces would leave the area following the deployment.
It is unclear whether that system will be followed or whether alternatives will be negotiated.
disarmament
Hamas has long refused to lay down its weapons, insisting it has the right to armed resistance until Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory ends.
For Israel, that is an important demand. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly said his operation will not end until Hamas’s military is dismantled. network of tunnels Built around the territory.
But Arab officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hamas may agree to “dismantle” the offensive weapons and hand them over to the Palestinian-Egyptian Joint Committee.
future government
Israel has said it wants to rid Gaza of Hamas influence. But it also rejects any role for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority or any deal that could lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has agreed to step back from governing the Gaza Strip and hand it over to a group of Palestinian technocrats.
What will happen in its place is still unknown.
under President Trump’s plan, Prime Minister Netanyahu agreesan international organization (the Peace Council or Peace Commission, as both names have surfaced) governs.
He will hold the greatest amount of power, overseeing the administration of Palestinian technocrats who run day-to-day operations. He will also take on a commanding role in directing the reconstruction of Gaza. President Trump’s original 20-point plan called for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to lead the organization.
Hamas has so far disagreed, insisting that a Gaza government should be conceived among Palestinians, taking into account their rights to sovereignty.
stake
Israelis celebrated the agreement, which was announced overnight after three days of talks in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. For many Israelis, the priority is to free the last hostage held for two years.
But Palestinians in Gaza were more worried. There was also a sense of relief that the relentless artillery bombardment and ground attacks had temporarily ceased, and that aid might flow in. But there was also skepticism and anxiety over how long the cessation of fighting would last, whether hundreds of thousands of people would be able to return to their homes, and whether Gaza’s largely ruined cities would be rebuilt.
Many Palestinians fear that Israel will use the breakdown in negotiations as an opportunity to resume attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hardline allies have insisted for months on maintaining long-term direct security control over Gaza and have talked about expelling Palestinians ostensibly on a “voluntary” basis. In Gaza, many believe that remains Israel’s objective.
If pressure from the United States and its allies continues even after the hostage evacuation, it may prevent Israel from resuming a full-scale war.
But there are other, more opaque scenarios as well.
If Hamas and Israel are unable to reach a final agreement or negotiations drag on without a conclusion, it could lead to an unstable situation in which Israeli forces would still hold parts of the Gaza Strip and Hamas would continue to operate. In that case, Israel is unlikely to allow large-scale reconstruction, and Gaza’s residents will likely languish in tent camps and shelters.
