Cautious Optimism Over Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal

US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social account in the late hours of Wednesday, October 8, that Hamas and Israel agreed to the Gaza ceasefire deal, which he calls his “Peace Plan”.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!” Trump wrote.

Over 20,000 Palestinian lives lost by Trump’s direct support to Israel

Trump hailed the long awaited agreement, though many pointed out that reaching an agreement had been a central promise of his election campaign, so this outcome was much delayed. On the contrary, Israel resumed its genocidal aggression on Gaza with even more fervor in March 2025 – two months after he was re-elected president. Since then, the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza has multiplied month after month.

The official death toll has jumped from about 47,000, when the first ceasefire came into effect in January 2025, to over 67,200 since the genocide resumed. Beginning on March 18, 2025, the US essentially gave Israel a green light to continue its atrocities until this Wednesday, when Trump appeared on his Truth Social account, boasting about the achievement of his alleged “Pleace Plan”.

The latest phase of the genocide also featured Israel’s brutal, unprecedented campaign to starve the people of Gaza, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians. As part of this, the notorious US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was put in charge of aid distribution sites, which on many occasions became a trap where Palestinians were shot at and killed while seeking aid.

In expressing his “pride” over the agreement, Trump seems to be ignoring that over 20,000 Palestinian lives would have been saved if his administration had not backed Israel and provided it with all the lethal means to eliminate more and more Palestinians.

Trump considered the signing of the deal “a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America”. He also thanked “mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey”, who worked with his administration to make “this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen.”

Israel’s most loyal sponsor ended his post saying: “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Palestinians in Gaza flooded the streets to celebrate the announcement

Once Trump announced that the first phase of the deal was reached, Palestinians in Gaza flooded the streets, singing, chanting and performing prostrations in gratitude. However, their celebrations have been bittersweet due to their massive humanitarian losses. Many also fear that Israel may not commit to permanently ending the war, especially as reports indicated that it launched a number of attacks on some areas of Gaza after the agreement was announced by Trump.

The world welcomed the agreement as a “momentous opportunity”

For his part, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres praised the agreement as a “momentous opportunity”, promising that the UN will contribute to the “full implementation” of the deal, by increasing its delivery of humanitarian aid, and advancing its reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.

The head of the United Nations called on all parties to obey the terms of the deal, including releasing the Israeli captives held in Gaza, abiding by a permanent ceasefire, and ensuring the immediate entry of humanitarian supplies into the besieged enclave.

Arab countries also welcomed the deal, including Saudi Arabia, which emphasized the “effective role” that Trump has played to achieve the deal, and the mediation efforts made by the brotherly states of Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye.

Jordan also expressed its appreciation for the “significant efforts” made by all mediators, including Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Türkiye, to reach a deal.

France hosts Arab, European ministers to help Palestinians in post-war Gaza

On Thursday, October 9 France hosted foreign ministers from Arab and European countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar the United Arab Emirates, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK, and Türkiye, alongside diplomats from the European Union, for discussions related to post-war plans in Gaza. The talks mainly focused on aspects such as security, governance, and the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territories.

Implementation timeline will be decided by mediators, says Hamas

The spokesperson of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, Hazem Qassem, clarified on Thursday that the Gaza ceasefire agreement’s implementation timeline will be decided by mediators.

“Hamas has reached a ceasefire agreement formula, and the mediators will decide when it takes effect,” Qassem asserted.

Hamas’s spokesperson further accused Israel of “manipulating the agreed-upon timelines, lists, and procedures in order to make the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear to be in control of the situation.”

Nevertheless, he confirmed that the movement “is in contact with the mediators to ensure that Israel abides by the agreement and is not allowed to stall its implementation.

“There was talk of the ceasefire taking effect at 12:00 noon today,” Hazem said, referring to Thursday, October 9, but the occupation is delaying the announcement for internal reasons.”

Israel is yet to approve the plan, delays Cabinet meeting

According to the spokesperson of the Israeli government, Shosh Bedrosian, the Gaza ceasefire will take effect 24 hours after the Cabinet meeting, which is convening to vote on the deal.

Nonetheless, Netanyahu’s government seems to be stalling the process, having postponed the meeting from 5 pm local time to 8 pm. The delay and continued Israeli attacks validate the assertion by Hamas’ spokesperson and others that Netanyahu is obsessed with appearing “in charge”.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch