https://arab.news/6npzd
According to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Gaza peace deal will enter phase two shortly. Remember that the 20-point plan was not an Israeli-Palestinian deal but a US-Israeli one that was delivered to Hamas as a surrender or die option. Trump and Netanyahu will no doubt be reviewing the state of play when they meet again on Dec. 29.
Shifting to phase two presumes that phase one is nearly complete. Any rational, fact-based assessment would state categorically that it is not. On the plus side, the hostages have been released, Palestinian detainees released and all but one of the hostage bodies located and returned.
But in three vital areas, phase one has not been implemented. This needs to be addressed, not least by the Trump administration, before further progress.
Firstly, Israel has not adhered to the ceasefire. All that has happened is that its forces have reduced their lethal fire on Palestinians, so the fatality rate has dropped. This is why at least 379 Palestinians have lost their lives since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 10. The assassination of Hamas commander Raad Saad on Saturday will test this further.
