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T reprieve resulting from the ceasefire in Gaza is profound. Within Israeli borders, the freeing of surviving detainees has led to broad celebration. Across Palestinian territories, celebrations are also underway as up to 2,000 Palestinian inmates begin their release – even as concern persists due to ambiguity about which prisoners are returning and their eventual placements. Throughout Gaza's northern regions, residents can finally go back to search the debris for the remains of an approximated 10,000 unaccounted-for individuals.

Ceasefire Emergence Against Prior Uncertainty

Just three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire seemed unlikely. Yet it has come into force, and on Monday Donald Trump departed Jerusalem, where he was hailed in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he attended a high-level diplomatic gathering of over 20 world leaders, featuring Sir Keir Starmer. The peace initiative begun there is set to advance at a meeting in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, did make this deal happen – contrary to, not due to, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dreams of Independence Qualified by Previous Experiences

Expectations that the deal signifies the first step toward Palestinian statehood are comprehensible – but, considering previous instances, rather hopeful. It lacks a transparent trajectory to sovereignty for Palestinians and endangers dividing, for the foreseeable future, Gaza from the West Bank. Additionally the utter devastation this war has caused. The lack of any timeline for Palestinian self-determination in the presidential proposal gives the lie to vainglorious mentions, in his Knesset speech, to the “epochal beginning” of a “golden age”.

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

In a period of ease – with the hostage release, halt in fighting and renewal of aid – he chose to recast it as a lesson in ethics in which he exclusively reinstated Israel’s dignity after purported betrayal by former US presidents Obama and Biden. This even as the Biden administration previously having attempted a analogous arrangement: a cessation of hostilities tied to aid delivery and ultimate diplomatic discussions.

Meaningful Agency Crucial for Legitimate Peace

A proposal that withholds one side meaningful agency is incapable of delivering sustainable agreement. The halt in hostilities and humanitarian convoys are to be applauded. But this is still not policy development. Without mechanisms securing Palestinian participation and authority over their own institutions, any deal endangers perpetuating oppression under the language of peace.

Humanitarian Priorities and Recovery Hurdles

Gaza’s people desperately need relief assistance – and food and medicines must be the first priority. But reconstruction must not be delayed. Within 60 million tonnes of wreckage, Palestinians need help restoring residences, schools, hospitals, places of worship and other organizations destroyed by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s provisional leadership to thrive, financial support must flow quickly and safety deficiencies be filled.

Similar to much of Donald Trump's peace plan, allusions to an international stabilisation force and a recommended “diplomatic committee” are worryingly ambiguous.

International Support and Prospective Outcomes

Substantial global backing for the Palestinian Authority, enabling it to replace Hamas, is probably the most promising prospect. The enormous suffering of the previous 24 months means the humanitarian imperative for a resolution to the conflict is possibly more critical than ever. But while the halt in fighting, the return of the captives and pledge by Hamas to “remove weapons from” Gaza should be recognized as positive steps, Donald Trump's history offers minimal cause to trust he will fulfill – or feel bound to try. Immediate respite should not be interpreted as that the likelihood of a Palestinian state has been brought closer.