After several months of standoff, a clever move or perhaps a ‘misunderstanding’ by US President Donald Trump led to an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza within days and both sides agreeing to it.
The agreement announced Wednesday secures the release of the final 48 hostages, of whom about 20 are believed to be alive.
According to two senior US officials, the hostages had become a burden on Hamas over time, opening the way for a compromise.
An official said the negotiators, led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, found that “Hamas is now exhausted.”
Despite the agreement, major questions remain, including questions of governance and reconstruction of a region that has been largely destroyed. There is also the question of whether Hamas will disarm, which is Israel’s main demand and which Hamas has not yet publicly accepted.
In early September, as peace talks brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar stalled, Israel launched an airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security official. This incident spread huge anger in Gulf countries and America.
Trump immediately apologized to Qatar because the attack could harm his campaign for peace in West Asia.
Two weeks later, Trump met with the leaders of eight Muslim countries during the United Nations General Assembly and presented his 20-point peace plan. The plan called for Hamas to release all hostages, give up weapons and give up power.
Trump warned that “if this last chance fails, Hamas will be hit like the world has never seen.” A few hours later, Hamas responded, “Yes, but…”.
The US and Israel could take this as a “no” and blame Hamas for not being able to reach a ceasefire on Israel’s terms, as they have done in the past. Israel could also vow to continue attacking Gaza City.
But when Hamas’ response came late Friday night, Trump considered it Hamas’s acceptance of the peace deal and appealed to immediately stop the bombing of Gaza. Israel also announced preparations for the first phase of the hostage release.
US officials declined to comment on Trump’s thinking. If Trump misunderstood Hamas’s response, no one was willing to correct him. Neither did Hamas, which ignored their warnings, nor Netanyahu, which did not want to see their agreement deteriorate.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday that Trump’s move was clever but decisive. He not only took advantage of the opportunity but also created a new opportunity himself.
