ANY halt in the genocide unfolding in Gaza is welcome.

After nearly two years of relentless bombardment, the prospect of a truce — following Hamas’s conditional acceptance of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which includes releasing all hostages and handing Gaza’s administration to a technocratic Palestinian body, and Israel’s readiness to implement its first phase — offers a sliver of hope.

For a population living amid mass displacement, collapsed infrastructure, and the loss of over 66,000 lives, even a pause in the violence carries meaning. Yet history teaches that such truces often collapse under Israel’s obstinacy. If this opening is to amount to more than a tactical lull, it must be anchored in lasting commitments.

The Netanyahu government has already signalled it will calibrate operations rather than halt them outright. Reports from Gaza confirm bombardment continuing despite Mr Trump’s demand for Israel to “immediately stop bombing.”

Mr Trump has also set Hamas a deadline, warning that if it fails to accept the deal by Sunday night, “all hell” will break out. Such ultimatums underscore both the fragility of the moment and the dangers of coercion in a process that should prioritise justice and peace. Israel is notorious for backtracking once international attention drifts. This time must be different.

The guarantors of the truce — Washington, Arab capitals, and the UN — must ensure commitments are not quietly abandoned, and that violations invite consequences. Without sustained pressure, Tel Aviv has little incentive to comply beyond exchanging hostages for prisoners.

Accountability cannot be sacrificed for expedience. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 — figures the UN considers credible. That most of the dead are women and children underscores the monstrous scale of Israel’s actions. International law obliges states to investigate such crimes.

If there is no accountability for the massacre of tens of thousands, peace will rest on sand, and impunity will pave the way for repetition. Equally central is Gaza’s future. The blockade that has strangled the Strip for nearly two decades must be permanently lifted. Aid convoys cannot replace the right of Palestinians to move freely, rebuild homes, and recover their economy. Without freedom of movement, Gaza remains an open-air prison.

In the end, no ‘technocratic committee’ or transitional board will address the root cause. Only a two-state solution, long sabotaged by Israeli settlement expansion, can provide dignity and security. Yet Israel’s leadership has already said it does not accept Palestinian statehood, pledging to retain “security control” while denying Palestinians sovereignty.

Unless Palestinians are granted the means to build a viable state, violence will recur. This fragile pause may offer a chance. But unless it is built on accountability, freedom, and self-determination, it will remain just that — a pause before the next round of devastation.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2025