IS there cause for genuine optimism that ceasefire and peace in Gaza is possible, ending nearly two years of genocide of the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli Occupation Forces, is a question that’ll be on many minds this weekend and an answer could well be there as early as Monday.
Like a number of times before, US President Donald J. Trump and his close friend, business partner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have said that peace in Gaza is now closer than ever. So, what could be different from the past when their optimism turned out to be unfounded.
I suspect there are two major markers which may be seen as possible turning points. The first was the Israeli missile attack on Qatari soil that targeted Hamas negotiators (that it failed to eliminate them is a different matter).
Some observers have expressed scepticism that the US, which is supposed to provide a missile defence shield over Qatar and has its biggest military base in the region there, was informed at the last minute by Israel and did not know of the raid well in advance.
There are two major markers which may be seen as possible turning points.
They say it must have been the failure to kill the targeted Hamas leaders which forced the US to distance itself from the raid. Even as it decried the attack on an ally, its reaction was not unequivocal as it upheld Israel’s ‘right’ to target its enemies wherever they were.
This led to a furious Arab response. The Gulf states have long justified their close ties with the US on the grounds of the latter’s security umbrella, but the Qatar attack made it abundantly clear that the protection was from Iran and other potential adversaries such as Yemen or domestic challenges but not Israel.
The Arab reaction may well have served as a reminder to Trump that his country’s economic and his family’s business interests in the wealthy Arab Gulf states were not something he could guarantee by taking those states for granted. Something had to be offered in return and the stranglehold of the Israelis on US policy had to be loosened.
The second marker was the breaking away of key Western allies such as the UK, France, Canada and Australia to name just four which defied the US and Israel to finally recognise a Palestinian state. On top of that was the EU’s statement on some form of sanctions against the apartheid state. All of those states had offered unconditional support to Israel on Gaza after the Hamas assault on Oct 7, 2023.
This change is what made Trump talk of the need for peace, given Israel’s ‘increasing isolation’.
The first hint of movement came when Trump met the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the UAE on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. From then, Witkoff and other sources have talked in terms of a ceasefire and hostage release (swap actually as Israel holds thousands more than Hamas).
After that meeting, Trump had bilateral sessions too, most notably with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir (both of whom were called ‘great’ by Trump) at the White House. It was a picture of ‘thumbs up’ bonhomie.
No details emerged from this meeting from either side, but then others, DC-based journos plugged into the administration, started a trickle of information. From these scraps of information, one gathered that there seemed a possibility that Pakistan could form a part of the multinational Muslim states’ force to oversee Gaza security once the ceasefire went into effect, the hostages swap happened, and the ‘gradual, phased Israeli forces’ withdrawal started.
Among other details were the immediate flowing in of humanitarian aid under recognised global aid agencies, the dismantling of the murderous US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which created killing fields/ traps for Palestinians in the name of food distribution points. There would also be some form of an American guarantee that there would be no annexation of the West Bank.
Up until now, no matter who has been blamed by the US and its Western allies, it is crystal clear that Netanyahu’s genocidal regime has sabotaged each peace/ ceasefire deal by changing the goalposts or arbitrarily adding new conditions or by simply reneging on all agreed clauses. In each of the earlier attempts, Israel and Hamas were both involved in developing plans that could come up for consideration, to be jettisoned by Tel Aviv.
On this occasion, Trump posted on his ‘Truth Social’ platform, while sounding a note of optimism after ‘four days’ of intense negotiations: “All of the Countries within the Region are involved, Hamas is very much aware of these discussions and Israel has been informed at all levels, including Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. There is more Goodwill and Enthusiasm for getting a Deal done, after so many decades, than I have ever seen before.”
“Everyone is excited to put this period of Death and Darkness behind them. It is an Honour to be part of this Negotiation. We must get the Hostages back, and get a PERMANENT AND LONGLASTING PEACE.” (All unnecessary caps are his.)
Having tried to spin his Hasbara lies with his usual multi-media presentation to a nearly empty UNGA hall, with supporters providing the rehearsed applause from the visitors’ galleries, Netanyahu arrives for talks in the White House on Monday.
Some 36 hours after you read these lines, the world will begin to learn if the apartheid state’s hold over US policy has loosened enough to make way for a deal or Netanyahu again somehow manoeuvres to get the greenlight to continue with his genocide of the Palestinians and moving towards his Greater Israel plan.
The writer is a former editor of Brackly News.
Published in Brackly News, September 28th, 2025
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