Trump’s gambit: Cautious optimism marks Israel-Hamas truce
The Tribune Editorial: Trump said Hamas would comply with a provision under his plan to disarm. The militant group, however, has ruled out this possibility before Palestine achieves statehood.
US President Donald Trump has announced, with his trademark air of finality, that the Gaza war is over. West Asia and the world at large may not agree with him completely, but there is no doubt that his intervention has made the guns fall silent — at least for the time being. Trump arrived to a hero’s welcome in Israel on Monday, even as Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages under the US-brokered ceasefire deal. However, the Israel-Hamas truce remains fragile, and it will face an acid test in the days and weeks to come. Much will depend on efforts by key stakeholders to ensure durable peace in the strife-torn region. Another Herculean challenge is to rebuild Gaza, which has been reduced to a sea of rubble by the two-year-old war that has rendered the majority of its 2.2 million people homeless and hungry.
