Trump Makes Peace in Gaza?
“At this point I don’t think there’s anything that can get me into heaven” jokes the President of the most powerful army in the world, Donald Trump.
This came shortly after pushing the October 10th ceasefire deal between the IDF and Hamas that would allow IDF forces to withdraw to an agreed upon line after years of occupation.
Palestine has been stricken with unrest and genocide, the Gaza city strip having been nearly flattened by Israeli bombings. Now the aerial assaults have stopped and there is hope Gaza will return to normal. Part of the deal entails that 20 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and an additional 1700 detainees. There is also a promise of aid being permitted to enter the Strip to relieve the starvation and poor health conditions brought on by Israeli forces illegally shutting down supply lines.
However, some wonder what is driving Trump to push for this ceasefire despite being explicitly pro-Israel in the past. During back and forth missile strikes between Iran and Israel, the US army made the decision to aid in bombing major Iranian nuclear research facilities on June 21st. Some say he is striving towards peace as a result of spiritual awakening in the wake of multiple medical complications, including the possibility of a major stroke. Others say Trump finally intends to capitalize on the proposed “Trump Tower of Gaza” land grab. Scepticism on his intentions remains at an all time high as the world watches.
Will Peace Last?
Shockingly, a mere four days after the ceasefire agreement fell into effect five additional Palestinians were killed for approaching Israeli forces. Details were sparse, reports stating that they breached the agreement by “crossing the yellow line” that was the original redeployment line. According to a rough map shared by President Trump the yellow line withdrawal point still leaves 58% of the Gaza Strip in control of the IDF.
As residents begin to return to Gaza City, the Head of Palestine's NGOs Network, Amjad Shawa illustrates, “the failure of Israel in its efforts to deport the Palestinians from their land”.
Approximately 600 aid trucks will be circulating throughout the city to provide care to the nearly 2000 Palestinian hostages being transferred across the border from Israeli prisons. Countless more are returning from rural refuge, many hiding outside of the city in makeshift establishments.
With all of this being a historic agreement, it does not necessarily bring a “dawn to a new Middle East” as Trump put it on October 14th. There has been very little done in the way of resolving the underlying issues which incited the violence in Gaza in the first place. There is nearly nothing in Trump’s agreement that points to a resolution within the state disputes between Israel and Palestine. The story continues to evolve.