Palestinians in Gaza after the announcement of the agreement (AFP)

“These are the first steps toward a strong, lasting, and eternal peace”… This is what U.S. President Donald Trump said when he announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed on the first phase of his plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip. While this marks a significant breakthrough in ceasefire talks, many celebrate it with cautious optimism.

Some of the most complex aspects of Trump’s proposal remain unclear, but it seems the two sides are closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives, destroyed much of Gaza, and sparked other armed conflicts across the Middle East, according to the Associated Press.

The Wall Street Journal emphasized that Trump’s announcement was a breakthrough in negotiations, while The New York Times saw Trump on the verge of achieving the greatest diplomatic accomplishment of his second term if he manages to maintain this agreement.

The arrival of Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner on Wednesday in Sharm El-Sheikh to attend peace talks, also attended by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, indicated that negotiators aim to delve into the toughest issues in the U.S. plan to end the war.

Trump said the agreement “means that all hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its forces to the agreed line,” but many thorny details remain unaddressed, which may require further negotiation rounds. The coming days will witness a wave of diplomatic activity as Trump plans to visit Israel.

The first phase of the ceasefire plan includes releasing all hostages, Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza to an agreed line, releasing some Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and allowing more humanitarian aid. However, the release of prominent Palestinian prisoners Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat is not expected, according to CNN.

At the announcement of the agreement, key contentious points were not addressed, including Hamas disarmament, Gaza’s future governance, and the sector’s reconstruction. The U.S. network said Hamas might not know the whereabouts of some deceased hostages’ remains or may be unable to recover them.

Israeli affairs researcher Yasser Manna told An-Nahar that “the agreement between Hamas and Israel on releasing hostages cannot be considered a sustainable step toward peace; at best, it is an agreement aiming to temporarily halt the war, not to end it fundamentally,” adding that “the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict goes beyond Gaza’s borders, and no partial agreement can lead to lasting peace unless a clear political path opens leading to a comprehensive settlement based on establishing an independent Palestinian state and addressing fundamental issues.”

Egyptian officials said mediators are working to reach a final agreement that may face obstacles. Besides releasing hostages, important details remain unresolved: how far Israel must withdraw its forces and how to ensure the war does not reignite. Since the agreement focuses on freeing hostages, it does not mention the Palestinian state issue.

The agreement represents an encouraging start but leaves vital files unresolved. Will the parties overcome these obstacles to ensure lasting peace, or will deep divisions lead to renewed conflict in the future?