Das Friedensabkommen zwischen Israel und der Hamas bringt Erleichterung – und es liegt ein langer Verhandlungsweg vor uns

**From Daniel R. DePetris, fellow at Defense Priorities:** 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet on Thursday approved the first phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan that was rolled out nine days earlier. In exchange for Hamas releasing the rest of the Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, the Israel Defense Forces will institute a ceasefire and implement a partial withdrawal from its current positions. The hostages will reportedly be set free by Sunday or Monday, although it may take additional time for Hamas to locate the bodies of those who have died.

Either way, one can’t avoid feelings of relief. The celebrations are hard to miss; for the roughly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who have been living through hell over the last two years, the ceasefire will provide much-needed respite from a war that has gutted the entire coastal territory, ruined its already dilapidated health care system and destroyed approximately 90% of its homes. In Israel, the families of the remaining hostages who are alive, who have been pressing Netanyahu to sign an agreement that ends the war, will soon have their loved ones back in their arms. Trump, predictably, is quite pleased: “This is a great day for the world,” he said hours after the deal concluded. “This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everybody.”