Hamas’s rejection of Israel’s ceasefire proposal also presents an opportunity: It has agreed to return all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war. True, halting the fighting while Hamas remains in power is problematic. However, Hamas’s consent could serve as a solid starting point for a better agreement regarding the war’s end state.
Thanks to the IDF’s achievements, Hamas has become Israel’s smallest security problem. Therefore, instead of pushing for another tactical gain against Hamas in Gaza, we should leverage the current situation to pursue a broader solution—one that ultimately results in Gaza being governed under a security and civil framework similar to that in the West Bank; that is, another entity would manage the civilian affairs, while security coordination would enable Israel to continue its efforts against Palestinian terrorism (and in the absence of a credible and responsible political solution, this arrangement could persist for many years).
The required objectives in Gaza now are:
- The return of all hostages
- Establishment of an alternative civilian administration in Gaza
- Transfer of authority over humanitarian aid distribution to security forces unaffiliated with Hamas
- A multi-year framework for disarming Hamas and deradicalizing Gaza
- Linking the end of the war and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza to a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia
How can this be achieved?
The path forward begins with adopting the Egyptian proposal, which includes all of these components as a basis for negotiations. In doing so, instead of focusing solely on a narrow issue, we can start advancing toward a fundamental regional shift that would significantly improve Israel’s strategic balance.
Hamas’s rejection of Israel’s ceasefire proposal also presents an opportunity: It has agreed to return all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war. True, halting the fighting while Hamas remains in power is problematic. However, Hamas’s consent could serve as a solid starting point for a better agreement regarding the war’s end state.
Thanks to the IDF’s achievements, Hamas has become Israel’s smallest security problem. Therefore, instead of pushing for another tactical gain against Hamas in Gaza, we should leverage the current situation to pursue a broader solution—one that ultimately results in Gaza being governed under a security and civil framework similar to that in the West Bank; that is, another entity would manage the civilian affairs, while security coordination would enable Israel to continue its efforts against Palestinian terrorism (and in the absence of a credible and responsible political solution, this arrangement could persist for many years).
The required objectives in Gaza now are:
How can this be achieved?
The path forward begins with adopting the Egyptian proposal, which includes all of these components as a basis for negotiations. In doing so, instead of focusing solely on a narrow issue, we can start advancing toward a fundamental regional shift that would significantly improve Israel’s strategic balance.