A Rational Way Forward on Gaza

The Palestinians, and Hamas, should be presented with a clear choice: genuine hope and massive assistance without Hamas, or continued misery with it

With the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire having expired over the weekend amid ongoing negotiations, the question now is whether Israel and Hamas find a way to continue the truce — or resume their brutal war. A resumption of fighting would almost certainly cost thousands more lives, including those of the remaining hostages and many more Palestinians.

As I explained today on Al Jazeera (see above), there is a better way.

The irony is that Israel is struggling to live with a deal that Benjamin Netanyahu signed under pressure from Donald Trump in January — yet that same Trump has in effect given him carte blanche to walk away from it. That’s Trump for you — always negotiating, a little like the stereotype of the Chinese, or Iranians. And that’s the generous interpretation.

That green light was reinforced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to Israel several weeks ago. Rubio declared that Hamas cannot remain in power, a statement widely interpreted as tacit permission for Israel to back out of the ceasefire, which would effectively leave Hamas ruling Gaza.

Polls show most Israelis supported the deal, which meant an end to the war and a Gaza pullout in exchange for all the hostages. But that doesn’t mean that leaving Hamas in charge in Gaza sits well or does not bode ill. It is an excruciating outcome. So how to square the circle?

For starters, Israel should honor the ceasefire agreement, which is the only realistic path to securing the hostages’ safe return. Then, it should try something a little more clever than continuing what hasn’t worked.

Consider that Hamas’ seeming resilience is partly a result of Israel’s own actions.