ON Sunday, a peace agreement for the Gaza Strip reached by Hamas and Israel will be set in motion. A temporary truce will take effect, and Hamas will start releasing its hostages.The peace deal, mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, was more than a year in the making, and marked by fits and starts.It took one big final push by the US to get it over the hill. In a rare moment of collaboration, negotiating teams fielded by outgoing US President Joe Biden and his successor Donald Trump had been 'speaking as one' to get Israel and Hamas to sign the pact.The 15-month war in Gaza has changed the political dynamic in the Middle East. Israel took a big gamble by simultaneously taking on its enemies on multiple fronts — Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria. Neutralizing the two militant groups has diminished the influence of their benefactor Iran, which prudently chose not to escalate tensions by avoiding direct confrontation with Israel.With its clout in the region secure, Israel is confident it holds the edge in negotiating with its foes. The US is hopeful that Israel would also finally mend strained relations with another regional power, Saudi Arabia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken considers the normalization of ties between the two countries as 'the best incentive to get the parties to make tough decisions necessary to fully realize the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.''This early, a key question needs to be answered: Who will run post-war Gaza? Definitely not Hamas. Israel will not agree.'The first phase of the peace agreement calls for the release within the next six weeks of 33 of the 100 hostages, including all women, children and men over 50. In turn, Israel will free several hundred Palestinian women and children from detention.That paves the way for the surge of humanitarian aid to the enclave. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the 'priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict.'More than 46,000 Gazans have been killed, and thousands more have no access to health facilities. At least 1.9 million, out of a population of around 2.2 million, have lost their homes. Sanitation is a nightmare, and diseases are claiming lives, particularly among children.Phase 2 involves freeing the rest of the hostages, implementing a permanent ceasefire and the complete pullout of Israeli troops from Gaza.Phase 2 will see the return of the bodies of the hostages who have died, and the massive effort to rebuild Gaza, a formidable challenge that requires security guarantees and billions of dollars in investment.This early, a key question needs to be answered: Who will run postwar Gaza?Definitely not Hamas. Israel will not allow the group, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, to rebuild its political infrastructure. Israel has also shot down proposals to let the Palestinian Authority govern Gaza.But Blinken has floated a plan for the Palestinian Authority to invite 'international partners' to form an interim governing authority to oversee Gaza. He also envisions other Arab states to provide a temporary security force in the enclave, trained and equipped by the US.Blinken said Gulf Arab states approve of the plan. He will need all his persuasive powers to get Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu on board.But Netanyahu may not be willing to go this far. He has come under heavy fire from right-wing diehards in his Cabinet for agreeing to the ceasefire-hostage deal. The families of the hostages are also blaming him for failing to work for their early release.One observer notes that if his Cabinet votes to accept the agreement, 'the Israeli prime minister should be able to ride out the immediate opposition from the right-wingers. Opposition leaders have already backed the deal, and much of the Israeli population is weary of the military campaign and just wants the violence to end.'So far, the peace deal appears to be lurching forward. But the process has a long way to go.If it is derailed this time, there may be no way of putting it back on track again.
