New Gaza Peace Plan Faces Standoff Amid Hamas Concessions and Israeli Displeasure

A new peace plan for Gaza, announced last week with the aim of ending the fighting and alleviating the humanitarian crisis, has so far resulted in another standoff between the key belligerents. US President Donald Trump hailed it as a "historic breakthrough," but its implementation faces significant challenges.

However, experts note several differences from previous peace arrangements that could be promising. The plan is more detailed and substantive, and Trump has indicated a greater willingness to pressure Israel into accepting it. Crucially, Hamas has agreed to disarm, a major concession after years of promoting armed resistance against Israel. Hamas fighters initiated the October 7 attack that killed over 1,000 people, sparking the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 73,000 deaths and has been classified as genocide by a UN commission.

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this is my true calling.

A significant sticking point has been the sequencing of events, with Israel demanding Hamas disarm before troop withdrawal, while Hamas previously refused until Israeli troops left. Early in July, Hamas agreed to transfer power to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), an independent technocratic group, and later agreed to hand over their weapons to the NCAG.

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They would not have made such a major, historic concession unless their backs were totally against the wall and they fully understood that this is the only way forward.

Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow at the European Council of Foreign Affairs, suggests Hamas's concessions are serious. "They would not have made such a major, historic concession unless their backs were totally against the wall and they fully understood that this is the only way forward," he stated. Shehada believes Hamas's agreement to disarm would lock them in, as any violation would give Israel a pretext to resume military operations, with Hamas blamed by the Palestinian public. However, he also concedes it could be a political tactic to expose Israel's obstructionism under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Hamas likely anticipates Israel's refusal, mitigating immediate fears of disarmament.

Despite these developments, Israel has expressed displeasure with the new peace plan, indicating that its political considerations will be a major factor in whether the deal progresses. The success of the plan hinges on overcoming this Israeli resistance and navigating the complex dynamics between the involved parties.

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Because if they renege or violate the decommissioning arrangements, they would give Israel the ultimate pretext to resume military operations in Gaza and collapse the whole Trump deal. Hamas would then be blamed by the entire Palestinian public.