U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside leaders from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, signed the ‘The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity’ in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday.
“Together, we will implement this agreement in a manner that ensures peace, security, stability, and opportunity for all peoples of the region, including both Palestinians and Israelis,” the agreement reads.
World leaders were also present at the peace summit, many offering praise to President Trump for his contribution to the cease-fire deal. “President Trump, this is your achievement. I thank you for your tireless efforts to deliver this moment,” said British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who added that the United Kingdom is ready to assist in the plan’s ‘full implementation.”
French President Emmanuel Macron called Monday a “historic day” for Israelis and Palestinians. “Let us prepare for what comes next together with humility,” said Macron before leaving Egypt.
Monday evening’s symbolic signature ceremony marks a concrete start to the beginning of what promises to be a lasting peace, leaders hope, and the release of all remaining living Israeli hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees shows significant progress towards that goal.
But plenty of questions remain about what lies ahead for peace in the region, particularly the future of Gaza. In the agreement, there is no mention of plans towards a Palestinian State that is recognised by the United States, nor clear plans on Gaza’s future governance.
This has somewhat been laid out in Trump’s initial 20-point peace plan. During Gaza’s redevelopment “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” Trump’s plan states.
But the President made no mention of a Palestinian state during his remarks at the signing ceremony on Monday, and has previously criticized recent moves from western countries to recognize Palestine.
On Monday, asked by reporters about a two-state solution, Trump would only say: “We’ll have to see.”
Trump added: “I’m not talking about a single-state or double-state or two-state. A lot of people like the one-state solution, some people like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long ruled out a separate Palestinian state, despite growing international pressure.
The initial plan also outlined the proposal for a temporary transitional government body to oversee Gaza’s day-to-day public services. Led by both Palestinian and international experts, the body is set to include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, something which Hamas has rejected the idea of, speaking to Sky News.
Blair was present at the summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, suggesting his involvement is increasingly likely.
And despite Monday’s prisoner and hostage exchange offering progress on the peace process, cracks in this aspect of the agreement have already appeared.
Only four bodies of the remaining dead hostages have so far been returned to Israel, after all 28 were expected to be handed over on Monday. The families of the hostages were “shocked and dismayed” by the development. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described it as “a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas,” calling on mediators and the Israeli government to ensure that Hamas “pays a price for this violation.”
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Monday evening that four coffins carrying deceased hostages were being escorted into Israel for formal identification. The identities of all four have since been confirmed, with two having been cleared for publication by their families as Guy Iluz and Bipin Joshi.
“All parties must ensure that the return of human remains is done under dignified conditions, and uphold dignity and humanity,” said The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which has overseen the handover of hostages, alive and deceased, as well as Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The IDF also said Tuesday that there had been “a clear violation of the agreement” when several people approached Israeli military positions beyond the current line of withdrawal in Gaza.
Troops then opened fire “to remove the threat.”, said the IDF. Local health authorities in Gaza said that six Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire across two separate incidents on Tuesday, multiple outlets are reporting, despite the enforcement of the cease-fire.
On the Palestinian side, there were claims by families that many of the prisoners released had suffered mistreatment. There are also growing fears of civil war breaking out in Gaza. Hamas has claimed it is seeking to “restore security”, amid claims it had executed members of rival groups.
Over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a terror attack in Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.
In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%.
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