Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is caught between the demands of his hardline coalition and US President Donald Trump’s push for a peace deal with Hamas. Trump’s 20-point peace plan, announced last September and reportedly accepted by Hamas, calls for significant concessions and mutual trust from both sides.

In Gaza City, amid harsh conditions, 67-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim Suweirki expressed rare optimism, saying, "I have hope that Hamas will surrender its weapons, because of the suffering of its people." Suweirki and his family have been displaced multiple times since the conflict escalated on October 7, 2025, with relief contingent on a peace agreement allowing reconstruction.

Jennifer Gavito, a former US deputy secretary for Iran, Iraq, and public diplomacy, described Hamas’s tentative agreement to relinquish weapons as "a fairly historic development." However, Netanyahu’s cabinet, including far-right lawmakers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, remains opposed to any deal with Hamas, complicating the prime minister’s position.

Following Israel’s military response to the October 7 attacks, Netanyahu vowed "total victory" and the "elimination" of Hamas. A demarcation known as the "Yellow Line," established after the October 2025 ceasefire, separates Israeli-controlled territory from Hamas-controlled areas.

The situation highlights the tension between international diplomatic efforts and internal political pressures within Israel.

Sources