The tragedy of the century has ended, but Gaza’s fate remains deeply uncertain

Israel’s genocides in Gaza have come to an end, and celebrations have begun in the Strip. The sides, together with several mediators in Egypt, have completed the first stage of negotiations aimed at resolving the issue peacefully and have reached initial agreements. Hamas will hand over the Israeli hostages to Israel, and Israel will begin withdrawing its troops from the Strip. Everything will be finalized in the coming days. Trump is also expected to visit Israel soon. In short, one could say that the tragedy of the century has come to an end, but considering that one of the sides is Israel, the durability of peace remains, in some sense, doubtful. However, during the past two years of massacres, no agreement at the level of the negotiations held in Egypt had ever been achieved. Therefore, the celebrations in Gaza are not without reason. Mothers who were starving, who lost their children and infants; children who lost their siblings; those who were left disabled for life by Israeli attacks; those who suffered from blockade and deliberate starvation and became skin and bones, finally, smiles have appeared on their faces. A small amount of hope has emerged in them.

Nevertheless, it cannot be said that the peace process is over with this. Because so far, the sides have agreed on only a few issues. There are still many demands and goals in Trump’s 21-point peace plan that remain unresolved. For this reason, the historic agreement in Egypt is seen as just the first stage of the peace talks. Even so, there are several factors indicating that this process may accelerate. In any case, the world is hoping for this. The innocent people of Gaza hope that peace will last forever. The long-awaited days are near. In short, the bloodshed in Gaza has stopped.

The chapter closed in Egypt

On October 6, the first phase of negotiations aimed at peacefully resolving the conflict between Israel and Hamas took place in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh. It became clear that the mediators participating in the talks were also highly influential figures. The presence of İbrahim Kalın, head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, and the Qatari delegation indicated that the negotiations would likely conclude with some kind of outcome. Al Jazeera reported that the talks ended in a ’’positive atmosphere,’’ and revealed that during the meeting, Hamas representatives presented their views on the process of releasing hostages, as well as the plan and timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The negotiations that day were held around the 21-point peace plan presented by the Trump administration on September 29. The plan envisioned the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from Palestinian territory. In return, Israel agreed to release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences.

Later, other media outlets also began reporting that the indirect negotiations aimed at ending the genocide in Gaza with Israel were continuing in an optimistic spirit. It was reported that during these discussions, Hamas presented a list of Palestinian prisoners that Israel would need to release in exchange for freeing the Israeli hostages. In addition, Tahir al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, was reportedly making significant efforts to remove any obstacles to implementing a ceasefire, and the media shared encouraging news that a positive atmosphere prevailed among all parties.

Positive development

At midnight Tashkent time, during a major press conference at the White House, Donald Trump said that a Gaza agreement was very close. At the same time, the first phase of the peace talks in Cairo was approaching its conclusion. During the press briefing, Trump began speaking again about the seven wars he had ended, noting that he was now close to stopping an eighth, after which he would attempt to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a conclusion. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approached Trump and whispered something to him. It is assumed that he provided information about the outcome of the talks in Cairo. Rubio also handed Trump a draft statement that was to be published soon on his Truth Social page. The statement announced that the first phase of the Gaza negotiations had concluded positively and that the parties had agreed on numerous points. At the same time, leading outlets such as CNN and Axios began reporting that Hamas and Israel were close to reaching an agreement.

Shortly afterward, everything was confirmed. Hamas announced that it had agreed to the deal. Publications in the Middle East reported that the agreement included a complete ceasefire and the release of hostages. The deal was signed at midnight Cairo time. Trump himself posted about it on his page, writing about it in glowing terms.

’’I am pleased to announce that Israel and Hamas have signed the first phase of our peace plan. This means that all hostages will soon be released, and Israel will begin withdrawing its forces to the agreed line as the first steps toward strong and lasting peace. All parties will act fairly! This is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, for Israel, for all surrounding countries, and for the United States. We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey who worked with us to achieve this historic and unprecedented event,’’ Trump wrote.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, the main mediator, announced that the agreement also includes removing obstacles to the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, with further details to be released later.

Hamas intends to remain in the Gaza Strip until Palestine becomes independent

Subsequently, Hamas also expressed its position on the agreement, thanking the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their efforts. In its statement, the movement specifically praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his initiative to completely stop the war and fully withdraw occupying forces from the Gaza Strip. However, Hamas members called on Trump and the other guarantor states overseeing the agreement to pressure Israel to fully fulfill its obligations under the deal.

’’We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain committed to the cause until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved. We will not relinquish our people’s national rights,’’ the Hamas statement said.

A senior U.S. official confidently told Axios that the war in Gaza had ended. Following the announcement of the peace agreement, celebrations began in Gaza. People who had endured two years of extremely heavy, tragic, and horrific massacres, who had witnessed these atrocities firsthand, and who had lost their loved ones and felt the pain of genocide in their own bodies, welcomed the peace with indescribable joy.

The end!

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister who played both the role of organizer and executor in the two-year-long massacre that will never be remembered favorably in history, convened his government on October 10 to approve the agreement and announced that all Israeli hostages would be brought home. It is reported that the hostages will be released 72 hours after the Israeli Cabinet approves the agreement. This means that, at the latest, residents of Gaza could breathe freely by October 13.

After the parties closed the initial chapter of the issue in Cairo, Trump and Netanyahu immediately spoke by phone. Netanyahu’s office reported that the conversation between the two leaders was very cordial and that they congratulated each other on the signing of the historic agreement to release all hostages. During the call, Netanyahu thanked Trump for all his efforts and global leadership and invited him to speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Trump accepted the invitation and may visit Israel on October 12.

Yes, the genocide, the most horrific tragedy of the 21st century, has been halted for now. At this point, no one can claim to have gained anything from it. If, in the future, figures like Tony Blair and Trump, along with the billionaire Zionists around them, who are expected to take control of Gaza and turn it into a resort zone, do not profit from any of their projects exploiting the Strip’s access to the Mediterranean, then it can safely be said that, for now, no one has benefited at all from this massacre.

All of humanity has lost. For two years, the suffering in Gaza crossed religious, ethnic, and other boundaries, affecting anyone with a sense of humanity. More than 67,000 Palestinians were killed, and nearly 170,000 innocent people were left maimed or wounded. From infants to the elderly, a large portion of the population became victims of unprecedented physical and psychological violence. Gaza was devastated. The Strip became, in effect, the grave of international law, international order, and many of the concepts that define human rights.

The worst part is that Gaza’s future remains highly uncertain. Dozens of points in Trump’s peace plan still need to be agreed upon. Among the most complex issues are Hamas’s withdrawal from the Strip and the promises regarding the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, recognized equally by the entire world.

Many challenges lie ahead. As if that were not enough, after the sequential announcements of Nobel laureates in various fields, the Peace Prize will be announced on October 10. We can only hope that Trump did not postpone the negotiations to October 9 solely to secure this award. We can hope, but our confidence is not very strong.