After nearly two years of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, a new plan proposed by Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, has offered a potential pathway towards peace. The 20-point proposal was made public by Mr Trump after a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, at the White House on Monday. The plan calls for the demilitarisation of Hamas, the swift release of Israeli hostages still in the Palestinian territory, and the subsequent withdrawal of Israeli troops from their current occupation of Gaza. With more than 60,000 Palestinians — a majority of them women and children — killed by Israel since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, the desire for peace at any cost is immense in Gaza and around the world. Arab nations, European countries and others — including India — have welcomed Mr Trump’s initiatives, which have made the prospect of the cessation of the war a reality. Yet, critical questions remain about the future of this plan. There are also deeper concerns about whether it will actually be sustainable and serve as a path towards the two-state solution that most of the world believes is the only solution to the crisis.

Hamas has not yet formally accepted or rejected the proposal. Mr Trump has threatened that if the Palestinian group turns down the deal, Israel will have his green light to continue with its massacres in Gaza. Even if Hamas accepts a pact that would amount to surrender, it is unclear whether Israel will stick to the US proposal. In the past, Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly said he agreed with Washington’s peace proposals, only to then make additional demands that have derailed ceasefire efforts. Already, while standing next to Mr Trump, he said that Israel would never accept the moderate Palestinian Authority’s leadership over Gaza even though the US plan says a reformed PA would ultimately govern the territory. Mr Netanyahu insisted on Monday that Israel would have ultimate security control over Gaza, even though Mr Trump’s deal talks of an international force in charge of that task. But the US proposal itself is also silent on Israel’s open plans for the annexation of the occupied West Bank and effectively places Mr Trump in charge of Gaza as the head of a board that also includes the controversial former British prime minister, Tony Blair. All efforts towards peace in Gaza are welcome. But war must not be replaced with another imperial takeover.