Understanding the Gaza Peace Deal

Against all odds, the longest and deadliest war in the century-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict may finally be edging toward peace. How did this happen?

Hamas is expected to release the 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza early next week. In exchange, President Trump’s plan calls for the release of Palestinian prisoners, the resumption of aid to Gaza and a partial withdrawal by the Israeli Army from the strip’s main cities. Here’s the latest.

People on both sides of the war are feeling hopeful. Israelis are desperate to see the remaining hostages return home. In Gaza, where more than 67,000 people have been killed and 90 percent of homes have been destroyed, residents celebrated the prospect of a reprieve from war and famine.

There is still a lot of uncertainty. The full details of the deal have not been made public. We don’t yet know how far the Israeli Army will pull back. We also don’t know how exactly aid will be allowed into Gaza again.

And much could still go wrong. Stubborn sticking points were left for future discussions. Will Hamas disarm? Who will run Gaza? Any one of these could unwind a fragile cease-fire.

Reaching a deal to release the hostages was no sure thing either. It came together not just because everyone is tired of war — but because there was something in it for every major player, as my colleagues have reported.

Hamas takes a risk

Many expected Hamas to reject Trump’s plan. The group is taking a risk by agreeing to release the remaining hostages in Gaza. They were its primary leverage with Israel. And there is no certainty that their release will achieve what the group wants in return.

Until now, Hamas had insisted that freeing the hostages was conditional on a complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza, a permanent end to the war and the release of Palestinian prisoners. The deal reached this week guarantees only one of those three things: the prisoner release.

One way of understanding these concessions is that Hamas is severely weakened. Much of its leadership was taken out. Its support among Gazans is dwindling. And it has come under tremendous pressure from Qatar and Turkey.

Another way of looking at it is that Hamas can agree to a deal while claiming progress on a few fronts: It hasn’t been dismantled. The world’s attention is back on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. And Israel is more isolated than ever.

Netanyahu brings the hostages home

The war in Gaza has also been a war of political survival for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is on trial for bribery and fraud. The Oct. 7 attacks happened on his watch. His popularity has slumped. And elections are due within a year.

Trump had to press Netanyahu to move forward with the peace plan. But this first phase has buoyed Netanyahu’s fortunes. He gets to welcome home Israel’s hostages. And an expected visit by Trump this weekend would allow him to bask in the glow of a national celebration.

Netanyahu also appears to have cornered his far-right coalition partners. So far there have been no threats to leave the coalition as a result of the deal.

Donald Trump, peacemaker

For Trump, this cease-fire plan is the ultimate test of his claims to be a deal maker and peacemaker. It could also be a pathway to the Nobel Peace Prize he has so openly coveted. (As it happens, the 2025 winner will be announced today.)

Few dispute that Trump’s willingness to pressure Netanyahu was crucial to a deal. No American president has ever come down harder on an Israeli prime minister.

Stopping the carnage of this war — which has left both Gaza and Israel’s global standing in ruins — would certainly be Trump’s proudest foreign policy achievement so far.

All this made a hostage deal possible. But will it be enough to secure a lasting peace?

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The American appetite for avocados has led to illegal deforestation in Mexico. A new satellite monitoring program will block violators from the U.S. market.

SPORTS

Football: The beautiful game is being drawn into Britain’s culture wars.

Formula 1: A prominent driver criticized the focus on “famous people and girlfriends.”

N.F.L.: When teams play in London, expect things to get uncomfortable.

SENTENCE OF THE DAY

“We must continue, then, to denounce the dictatorship of an economy that kills.”

— An excerpt from Pope Leo XIV’s first major policy document, released yesterday. Leo urged people to defend and protect the most vulnerable.

MORNING READ

The Hungarian novelist Laszlo Krasznahorkai won this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”

Hailed as a “master of the apocalypse,” Krasznahorkai has long been revered by fellow writers for dystopian narratives that are slyly humorous. Among his best-known works is “The Melancholy of Resistance,” which follows events in a small Hungarian town after a circus arrives with a huge stuffed whale. Read more.

AROUND THE WORLD

How they’re styling hair in … Thailand

Can long hair be a sign of a healthy democracy? Many Thai students think so.

For decades, Thai schools have been policing uniforms and hair: Crew cuts were OK. Dyed hair or long bangs were definitely not. Breaking the rules could lead to a humiliating haircut in class.

The restrictions, which were introduced by a military government in 1972, were struck down by a court this year. But many schools still enforce them. “Those in power want to turn us into citizens who are easy to rule,” one student activist said. Read more.

RECIPE

Some old recipes are relics. Others, like Evelyn Sharpe’s French chocolate cake from 1969, seem timeless.

Dense yet permeable. Rich but not ridiculously so. And a wonderful showcase for good chocolate. A reader in Scotland offered this tip: “Prepare it with a bit of whiskey and serve it with raspberry coulis and mint.”

WHERE IS THIS?

This city has a booming homegrown fashion industry.

BEFORE YOU GO …

One of the best things about writing a newsletter called The World is that I don’t have to say “soccer” when I mean football. And I don’t have to convert kilometers into miles or Celsius into Fahrenheit.

As a correspondent writing for a mostly American audience, I’ve spent the past two decades engaged in these little acts of translation, and it’s a relief to be back among my fellow metric system users.

All this makes me think of my favorite “Saturday Night Live” skit: George Washington, played by Nate Bargatze, gives a pep talk to American revolutionaries about what it means to be a free country. (“I dream that one day our proud nation will measure weights in pounds, and that 2,000 pounds shall be called a ton.”) Watch it if you want a wholesome lol.

Finally, another world-themed song for your Friday. This one is a feisty gem from Brazil: Di Melo’s “Se O Mundo Acabasse Em Mel” (“If the World Ended in Honey”). Thanks for the inspo (you know who you are). Please keep it coming. I’ll be listening to this with a cup of tea (or something stiffer) on this beautiful 16 degree Celsius day.

Have a great weekend. — Katrin