For a just and lasting peace, a comprehensive deal is of paramount importance; ceasefire talks must proceed to halt further escalation

For the past year and a half, Israel is fighting a brutal war with Hamas and other adversaries in our region. The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were murdered and over 240 people were held hostages, shook the foundations of Israel. It brought back memories of the Holocaust to the Jewish people. Israel responded with a determination to eliminate the Hamas leadership and its military capabilities.

Having met its objectives to a great extent, not least in the elimination of Hamas leaders such as Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, Israel entered into a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt. This entailed the cessation of all hostilities and the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. The ceasefire came into effect on January 19, 2025.

Unfortunately, a ceasefire agreement is only a temporary fix. For a just and lasting peace, a comprehensive deal is of paramount importance. In this regard, the first proposition was put forth by US President Donald Trump. He proposed developing Gaza into a Riviera of the West Asia alluding to the immense potential the region possesses in terms of promoting tourism and the economic prosperity it entails.

Contrary to popular belief, Gaza is hardly an arid, landlocked or drought-prone area. It is bestowed with fertile land and exquisite sea shores, which make for lucrative real estate opportunities in the region. Initially, Trump expounded upon the need to relocate the Gazan population to facilitate the reconstruction activity while providing the displaced with an option of relocating to Jordan and Egypt.

Later, the US president reneged on his position proclaiming he has no intentions of resettling the Palestinian population.  Israel welcomed this initiative because if we look at the scale of destruction in Gaza and the damage done to its buildings, it is nearly impossible to redevelop Gaza without moving a large number of people out until the construction activity gets over.

 The Gaza Strip had a much better standard of living compared to many Gulf countries, when Hamas took its control in 2007. It received a disproportionately large component of funding and aid for refugees and displaced people in comparison to the rest of the world. Instead of investing it into education and economy, Hamas created a massive terror infrastructure. Israel will not allow Hamas or any other entity to develop terror infrastructure in the name of rebuilding Gaza.

Another peace plan has been arrived at on March 4 during the emergency session of the Arab league in Cairo. The statement issued in the summit fails to address ground realities. Hamas' brutal and unprovoked terror attack, is not even mentioned as the root cause of the war. The statement continues to rely on the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA — both of which are riddled with corruption and have failed at contain terrorism — to rebuild Gaza.

The UNRWA, in particular, has been included despite the role played by its officials as also the use of its facilities for terrorism being well established. In UNRWA’s schools, hatred towards Israel was propagated under an educational umbrella and ammunition and weapons were hidden in the said schools. This has to be stopped!

The cost of rebuilding Gaza is estimated close to $53 billion, according to the UN estimates, without any details about the source of finance in the plan. Imagine if they manage to fund the reconstruction and it’s used by Hamas to attack Israel again, inviting retaliation.

That’s why perhaps top leadership of moderate Arab countries stayed out of the conference. Now, it is believed they had a good reason not to take part in that. Meanwhile, Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip claimed more Palestinians, as its forces pressed deeper into Rafah near the Egyptian border amid an escalating aerial and ground assault. 

Furthermore, Egypt has also introduced a fresh proposal to revive the ceasefire talks. The proposal includes a hostage release by Hamas, with five living hostages, including an American-Israeli, being freed in return for Israel allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and agreeing to a weeks-long pause in hostilities.

Israel, in turn, would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas has reportedly responded positively. It is ready to free the remaining hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel’s position is clear. It will not allow the new regime in Gaza or the Iranian proxies in the region to threaten it or to play any significant role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. There has to be a price. Above all, the first issue was all its hostages should be released. A return of hostages, the disarmament of Hamas as well as its exclusion from future endeavours for reconstruction and governance in the strip are crucial. 

We believe this is also in the interest of the Palestinians for a better life. It takes into consideration the concerns of Israel and remains the only way to ensure sustainable peace and prosperity for the region and its people.

Since its independence in 1948, Israel has strived for peace. It has normalised relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco among other countries in recent years, enabling multilateral frameworks like I2U2 and IMEC corridor. We need to reject terror and support initiatives for a stable, peaceful and prosperous West Asia. For the purpose, we have good partners in the region.