Trump’s ‘Peace Plan’ Meets Skepticism
By Islamic Horizons Editors
On Oct. 8, President Donald Trump announced Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of a new “Peace Plan.”
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
As Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza, Palestinians returned to their devastated homes, Palestinian journalist Bizan Owda reported on an Instagram Reel. “These are the holy scenes that they tried to delete when they forced us – when they tortured us – to flee our homes in the North,” she said. “But they failed. This is the second return.”
Owda documented caravans of Gazan families, most traveling on foot, trekking along the sea back to their homes from which they were displaced during Israel’s genocide on Gaza. “No one ever must live this,” Owda said. “No one ever must return after being tortured to flee. . . Return to the rubble of [their] homes, return to the bodies of [their loved ones], return under the sun, [barefoot], tired. [After] two years of a genocide, finally, we are returning.”
While some embrace the so-called Peace Plan as a moment of relief, others are skeptical about whether it will keep Israel from continuing its oppression of Palestinians in Gaza. In fact, hours after the ceasefire was agreed, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians and injured dozens in Gaza during targeted attacks on shelters, homes, and gatherings, according to witnesses and medical officials.
Additionally, on Oct. 12, 28-year-old Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi, was killed during clashes in Gaza city, days after announcing the ceasefire agreement. While the exact cause of his death is unknown, some speculate he was shot by an Israeli-backed armed militia.
American Palestinian activist Tariq Raouf also reported losing three family members after the announcement of the ceasefire. “There is no kindness in the actions of our governments and these ‘ceasefires’ are not a tool for justice or accountability,” his Instagram post said.
The ceasefire agreement followed a meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt between mediators from the United States, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar. The negotiations came two years and two days after Israel launched an unrelenting military campaign in Gaza to crush the Palestinian people after a Hamas-led coalition attempted the liberation of Palestine by force of arms on Oct. 7, 2023. On that day, Israeli officials claimed that Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others as hostages (though some unknown number of Israelis were killed by Israeli military forces following the so-called Hannibal Directive on the day of the Hamas-led attack). Since then, the Zionist entity, armed and funded by the U.S., U.K., and NATO countries, has killed at least 67,000 people in Gaza including over 20,100 children (conservatively, at least 70% of total casualties in Gaza were non-combatants). An unknown number of dead still lie beneath the rubble.
A senior Palestinian official told BBC that the “yellow line” on Trump’s plan map was adjusted to reflect Israel’s security requirements and Hamas’ need to secure the release of Israeli hostages. He added that Israel rejected the inclusion of senior Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti in the exchange deal despite Hamas’ insistence on his release. This casts a deep shadow on the occupation regime’s intent.
Netanyahu’s statement called the agreement’s first phase of the deal “a great day for Israel.” Hamas, in its statement, urged Trump and the involved countries to compel Israel to fully follow the deal.
Qatar’s foreign ministry’s statement said that the first phase of the ceasefire agreement will lead to the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and entry of aid.
Washington, D.C.-based American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) cautiously welcomed Trump’s announcement. “We remain deeply concerned about Israel’s tactics and the deceptive maneuvers of [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government repeatedly signals that its sole priority is the return of Israeli prisoners — followed by a resumption of genocidal warfare in Gaza,” the organization stated in a press release.
AMP noted the many past instances when Israel defied ceasefire orders, including pulling out of the January deal brokered under former President Joe Biden. That agreement outlined three phases leading to a permanent ceasefire. However, Netanyahu withdrew from the Biden deal at the end of the first phase in early March and resumed the Israeli genocide in Gaza which included the deliberate starvation of Palestinians. In combative speech on Oct. 10, Netanyahu said that Gaza will be demilitarized “the easy way or the hard way.” So, peace remains iffy.
UN Secretary General António Guterres urged all parties to obey the terms of the deal including releasing Israeli hostages, abiding by a permanent ceasefire, and immediately allowing humanitarian supplies into Gaza. “I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, leading to a two-state solution to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security,” he said in a statement.
However, many stumbling blocks in the current diplomatic arrangement persist. Trump’s plan calls for an international body led by two war profiteers — himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair — to play a role in Gaza’s post-war administration.
Arab countries, backing the plan, say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said will “never” happen.