Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire during talks with American, Turkish, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators. The first phase involves Israel stopping the bombing and withdrawing from Gaza to an agreed line. Hamas, in turn, will return all hostages within 72 hours of the agreement. The question we must ask ourselves now is what prevents Israel from resuming its bombing campaign once the hostages are returned? And what can Arab and Islamic countries do to prevent such a scenario, which some might say is probable?

A senior Israeli official said the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip took effect after the agreement was signed overnight. According to the official, the government hopes Hamas will…

The ceasefire will take effect after ratification by Netanyahu’s government, which meets after Thursday’s security cabinet session.