The Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement has brought hope to the people of Gaza. It is also good news for the families of the hostages for whose release Israel had unleashed the dogs of war. This is undoubtedly the result of many rounds of negotiations fostered by Qatar and the United States. These were persisted with despite many setbacks, for which credit should go to the mediators as well as US President Joe Biden. However, it is also a fact that President elect Donald Trump’s declaration that ‘all hell would break loose’ if there is no ceasefire probably persuaded Hamas that there was no more space for maneuver.
This is, of course, the first phase of the agreement with one section of hostages being released – children and the elderly. The younger ones will be released in the second phase when Hamas and its backers are convinced that Israel’s promise to withdraw is sincere and under implementation. As such, there is still concern about matters being derailed by unexpected events.
But, for the present, there is reason to rejoice as a completely unnecessary bloodbath may be coming to a close. There have been tens of thousands of innocent deaths for which there has been no remorse on the part of the instigators. The future politics of the region will be impacted by this fact. It is unfortunate that various sections of the Palestinians have been represented by increasingly radical and irresponsible political forces. Matters have been made worse by the intervention of other nations playing a larger strategic game. It is important that the people find ways to get free of militants willing to go to any lengths for their radical goals.
There is another pointless conflict underway between Ukraine and Russia that the power transition in the US might hopefully influence in some positive way. Of course, Vladimir Putin’s clout is much greater than that of Hamas, but going by how the war is progressing, it is possible that he will be looking for a face-saving way out of the mess. Trump believes that it is Ukrainian President Zelenskyy who is creating obstacles in the path to a peace deal. It remains to be seen what approach the US adopts under Trump, but the need for peace is imperative for the sake of another section of humanity suffering unnecessarily and the well-being of the world.
