The fragile Gaza ceasefire is hanging in the balance, as repeated delays and violations threaten to derail it altogether. The agreement U.S. President Donald Trump touted as hopefully bringing “everlasting peace” is actually a precarious truce based on vague principles that both sides felt compelled to accept rather than truly embraced. This approach was necessary to finally end the horrific war—which the Trump team deserves credit for—but it left critical issues unresolved and far too many specifics unaddressed.
The U.S. and its partners in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are rightfully pushing hard on Hamas and Israel to comply with their initial obligations, including the return of all hostage remains and letting in desperately needed humanitarian assistance. But there is also an urgent need to put the entire process on firmer, more sustainable footing by implementing its long-term elements.
Key to this will be a United Nations Security Council resolution that clearly spells out the endgame—Hamas ultimately disarming while a regional peacekeeping force takes over and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdraw—and brings international credibility to the steps required to get there. This must happen as soon as possible, before an alternative reality takes hold in which Hamas controls half of Gaza and the IDF occupies the other half. History shows that initial ceasefire lines have too often become permanent, which only perpetuates the conflict.
Most importantly, the U.N. has a critical role to play in establishing the proposed International Stabilization Force, which is essential to providing long-term security and facilitating the timely withdrawal of the IDF. Several countries, including Egypt and Indonesia, have indicated a willingness to participate but are reluctant to deploy troops to a force with no clear mission or international mandate. They also insist on contributing only as peacekeepers, not peacemakers, which effectively means Hamas must agree to their presence. And, critically, Hamas has made clear it would only accept an international force if it operates under a U.N. mandate with Palestinian support.
A Security Council resolution backed by the Palestinian Authority and key Arab and Muslim partners is the only way to address these issues. What’s more, making clear that there is broad regional and international support for Hamas disarming would reinforce pressure on the group to do so.
The Trump administration is already reportedly considering a U.N. resolution to authorize the International Stabilization Force. But more is needed.
The Security Council should also clearly state that Hamas must cede governance of Gaza to a Palestinian interim technocratic government supported by the “Board of Peace,” a body outlined in Trump’s 20-point plan . Hamas has already agreed to transfer authority to an interim technocratic government, and its initial members have been identified. But it must be deployed now. Gaza had a functioning civil service and police force before the war. Once vetted and cleared of Hamas members, it can be empowered to provide basic services until additional Palestinian police officers can be trained and deployed.
Further, the resolution should establish the eventual governance of Gaza by a reformed and empowered Palestinian Authority, as Palestinian control of a unified Gaza and West Bank is essential to securing regional support for the massive reconstruction and stabilization effort. The resolution should also codify the Trump plan’s principle of establishing conditions for a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” This is the most definitive statement Trump has made on a political horizon for Palestinian independence, and it is crucial to securing Arab support for his plan.
Finally, the resolution should enshrine the Trump plan’s principle that Israel cannot occupy or annex Gaza. Extremists in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continue to pressure him to restart the war and pursue their messianic vision of a “Greater Israel” by forcing the Palestinians out of Gaza. The Security Council should permanently take that option off the table. It should also mandate that humanitarian assistance be delivered at scale by the United Nations without interference, noting that it cannot be used as a tool of coercion.
A Security Council resolution certainly will not solve all of Gaza’s problems. But it can make clear to extremists on both sides that there is no feasible alternative while also helping to create new realities on the ground that they must accept. This can lay the groundwork for progress on the most difficult unresolved issues—including Hamas agreeing to disarm and a viable plan for IDF withdrawal—while giving much-needed momentum to a ceasefire that cannot be allowed to fail.
If Trump is serious about achieving the lasting peace he announced, he must seize this rare moment of international alignment and leverage the United Nations to help amplify U.S. power. His legacy and the hopes of 2 million Palestinian civilians depend on it.
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