The world is breathing a sigh of relief following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. This deal will allow Palestinians in Gaza to reopen their homes and begin the process of rebuilding their lives after years of siege and military escalation that have caused massive destruction in the region. Islamic Relief has been working with communities in Gaza throughout the conflict and is determined to support them as they rebuild their shattered lives.
However, this agreement is still a long way from delivering lasting peace to the region. The key issues are still unresolved and there is significant opposition within Israeli politics to the deal, particularly among the right-wing parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who believe that the second phase of the agreement would require the exile of Hamas’ leadership from Gaza – an outcome that would be unacceptable to the far-right coalition partners.
In addition, the success of the truce is heavily dependent on the role played by Saudi Arabia – an important regional ally of the US – who has so far been reluctant to push its pro-Israeli policies on the issue. If the Saudis are willing to take a more forceful stance in favour of the Trump administration’s vision for peace that is based on commercial interests, then there could be real hope that this new framework will be able to break the deadlock between Israel and Hamas.
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