Safia Ramzan
Any halt in the genocide unfolding in Gaza is welcome, even if temporary. After nearly two years of relentless Israeli bombardment, the announcement of a possible truce following Hamas’s conditional acceptance of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan has generated a cautious sense of relief. The proposal involves releasing all hostages and transferring Gaza’s administration to a technocratic Palestinian body, while Israel has agreed to implement the plan’s first phase.
For Gaza’s battered population — living amid ruins, mass displacement, and unbearable loss — even a brief pause carries profound meaning. Yet, history offers grim reminders: truces in Gaza rarely hold. Israel’s record of reneging on ceasefire terms and exploiting pauses for strategic gain is well documented. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has already hinted it would merely “recalibrate” operations, not end them. Reports confirm bombardments continue despite Trump’s public call to “immediately stop bombing.”
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Mr. Trump, seeking to portray himself as a peacemaker, has set Hamas an ultimatum — accept the deal by Sunday night or face “all hell.” Such coercive diplomacy risks making peace conditional on submission rather than justice. The international community, weary of half-measures, must ensure this ceasefire is more than a photo opportunity.
The guarantors — Washington, Arab states, and the UN — carry the burden of enforcement. Without sustained pressure and verification, Israel will again revert to impunity, exchanging prisoners while continuing occupation. True peace demands accountability. Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry — figures deemed credible by the UN. The majority are women and children, victims of collective punishment disguised as security policy.
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Justice must not be sacrificed for convenience. International law mandates investigation and prosecution of war crimes, regardless of political alliances. If the massacre of tens of thousands passes unpunished, peace will rest on sand. Impunity ensures repetition, while accountability offers deterrence.
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Equally vital is Gaza’s future. A truce without lifting the 16-year blockade is meaningless. Aid convoys may feed bodies but cannot free minds. Palestinians deserve the right to rebuild, move, and live with dignity. Gaza cannot remain an open-air prison controlled by foreign checkpoints.
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Ultimately, the crisis transcends humanitarian aid — it is about political justice. A technocratic authority or transitional board cannot replace a people’s right to self-determination. The only sustainable path remains the two-state solution, long buried under Israel’s settlements and America’s silence. Yet Israel’s leadership rejects Palestinian sovereignty outright, promising to retain “security control” indefinitely.
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Unless Palestinians are empowered to build a viable state, violence will persist. This fragile ceasefire offers a fleeting chance — a moral test for the world. If it collapses into another cycle of betrayal, the blame will not be shared equally. For peace to mean more than pause, it must rest on justice, accountability, and freedom — not the shifting sands of political convenience.
