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A much-anticipated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal was announced in Qatar on Wednesday – a little prematurely, as it turned out.
With a backdrop of airstrikes that killed more than 70 in the enclave, Hamas and the Israeli government yesterday blamed each other for holding up a crucial breakthrough already celebrated by Israelis and Palestinians.
The last-minute delay doesn’t bode well. And as Asher Kaufman, an expert on Israeli history and professor of peace studies, explains, that is unlikely to be the last bump in the road.
Kaufman details how the package is in three phases. An initial hostage release of 33 Israelis in return for Palestinian prisoners will be followed by a second wave involving the remaining captives in Gaza. Finally, the parties will turn to postwar Gaza and its governance, and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. And it is here that real barriers remain. Kaufman writes that members of the Israeli government will be “loath to agree to any measures that would
lead to a handing over of governance and security in the enclave to Palestinians.”
He continues: “Throughout the conflict, the Israel government has made it clear that it envisions no role for Hamas in a post-conflict Gaza. But Hamas’ main rival, the Palestinian Authority, has little credibility among Gaza’s residents. It leaves a gaping question of who will govern in Gaza.”
Elsewhere this week, we have been looking at the United States’ yo-yoing policy on Cuba and how Silicon Valley venture capitalists are shaping an expanding defense tech industry.
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Demonstrators in Tel Aviv
call on the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages during a Jan. 15, 2025, protest.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)
Asher Kaufman, University of Notre Dame
Three-phased deal will start with the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023. If fully implemented, the agreement will see the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Palestinian enclave.
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Elke Schwarz, Queen Mary University of London
Enormous sums of venture capital money and influence is pouring into a defence industry which is being reshaped in the image of Silicon Valley.
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Luke Montrose, Colorado State University
Human bodies aren’t prepared for the toxic chemicals in smoke, and the effects can be harmful in the short term and long term.
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Japhy Wilson, Bangor University
In the Peruvian Amazonian city of Iquitos, the first wave of COVID-19 brought unprecedented chaos and a black market in oxygen and mass graves.
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Chee Meng Tan, University of Nottingham
Could China be looking for new allies if Trump’s tough measures start to pinch?
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Florimond Gueniat, Birmingham City University
The Millau Viaduct just turned 20, but passed its carbon break-even point some years ago.
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Julian Schrader, Macquarie University
Madagascar tops the list globally in terms of the percentage of plant species endemic to a single island.
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Jamie Q. Roberts, University of Sydney
‘Frankly, I think the whole society is nuts,’ Joseph Heller once said – ‘and the question is: What does a sane man do in an insane society?’
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Rosalind Dixon, UNSW Sydney; David Landau, Florida State University
A change in presidential leadership shows voters that stability and prosperity aren’t linked to a single leader.
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Shahzad Uddin, University of Essex
The family of Sheikh Hasina were at the forefront of the independence movement but were soon linked to allegations of corruption and authoritarianism.
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