It would be a great day for the world if Hamas agrees to sign a peace deal with the Israeli government. The deal, said to be in its final stages, envisages release of at least a third of the hostages alive and held in Gaza and some of the 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held captive in Israel. More importantly, it would mean a ceasefire would be in place for six weeks before an Israeli withdrawal from the bombed-out Gaza Strip could become a reality, even if it means that the forces would only move south and remain on the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt.
Any reprieve from a 15-month war following a savage raid on Israel by Hamas that led to the killing of around 1,210 people and the taking of 234 hostages would be welcomed by the Palestinians as well as the world that would like to see Israeli reprisals for the October 7, 2023, attack end to give peace a chance.
Maybe, it is Donald Trump’s impending advent at the White House or Joe Biden’s despair towards leaving a legacy of hope of a more lasting peace in the Middle East that is leading to this birth of optimism. A lot of people, including Biden-Blinken and Trump, may take credit if the breakthrough happens.
What takes place after a lull in the fighting and bombing and a ceasefire and eventual Israeli withdrawal cannot be guesswork. Israel is not going to leave Gaza if Hamas is to spring back to power at once and start rearming its militants, as it has already done since the Israelis left the northern parts of the Gaza Strip.
It is foreseen that the Palestinian Authority, with the support of international partners and the Palestinians of Gaza, might have to take charge of an interim administration if the deal is not to be breached for fighting to begin again. A void in administering Gaza would have to be filled and checks established on Hamas arming itself all over again, for If that happens, there will be no durable peace for decades in the region.
It is important that the ball of peace starts rolling in the Israel-Gaza conflict. It appears at least the perception is dawning now that the two wars which caused such a headache to the world all through 2024 can be ended this year as Russia says it is ready to study Trump’s ideas for ending the war. Will 2025 turn out to be the extraordinary year in which two wars will end?
