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The respite following the ceasefire in Gaza is immense. Across Israel, the liberation of surviving detainees has sparked extensive joy. Throughout Gaza and the West Bank, festivities are also underway as as many as 2,000 Palestinian prisoners start to be released – though anguish persists due to ambiguity about which prisoners are returning and where they will be sent. In northern Gaza, residents can finally reenter search the debris for the bodies of an believed 10,000 missing people.

Ceasefire Emergence Against Prior Uncertainty

Only three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire looked improbable. However it has been implemented, and on Monday Donald Trump journeyed from Jerusalem, where he was applauded in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he attended a high-powered peace summit of over 20 world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. The plan for peace initiated there is due to be continued at a meeting in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, successfully brokered this deal take place – regardless of, not because of, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinian Statehood Hopes Tempered by Historical Realities

Hopes that the deal signifies the first step toward Palestinian statehood are reasonable – but, considering past occurrences, slightly idealistic. It lacks a transparent trajectory to sovereignty for Palestinians and endangers separating, for the foreseeable future, Gaza from the West Bank. Then there is the complete destruction this war leaves behind. The absence of any schedule for Palestinian autonomy 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 could not resist dividing and individualizing the deal in his speech.

In a moment of relief – with the hostage release, truce and renewal of aid – he opted to reframe it as a morality play in which he alone restored Israel’s prestige after supposed treachery by former US presidents Obama and Biden. This even as the Biden administration previously having attempted a comparable agreement: a cessation of hostilities tied to humanitarian access and eventual negotiations.

Genuine Autonomy Vital for Authentic Resolution

A proposal that refuses one side meaningful agency cannot produce legitimate peace. The ceasefire and aid trucks are to be applauded. But this is not yet political progress. Without processes ensuring Palestinian involvement and control over their own organizations, any deal threatens cementing domination under the discourse of peace.

Humanitarian Priorities and Recovery Hurdles

Gaza’s people urgently require relief assistance – and sustenance and pharmaceuticals must be the primary focus. But restoration cannot wait. Within 60 million tonnes of wreckage, Palestinians need assistance restoring residences, educational facilities, hospitals, places of worship and other establishments shattered by Israel’s military operation. For Gaza’s provisional leadership to succeed, funding must flow quickly and protection voids be filled.

Similar to much of Mr Trump’s diplomatic proposal, mentions to an global peacekeeping unit and a recommended “peace council” are worryingly ambiguous.

Worldwide Endorsement and Potential Developments

Robust worldwide endorsement for the Palestinian leadership, allowing it to take over from Hamas, is likely the most promising scenario. The enormous suffering of the recent period means the moral case for a solution to the conflict is arguably more pressing than ever. But although the truce, the return of the detainees and vow by Hamas to “demilitarise” Gaza should be accepted as favorable developments, the president's history offers minimal cause to believe he will accomplish – or consider himself obligated to attempt. Immediate respite does not mean that the possibility of a Palestinian state has been moved nearer.