Praise to Trump for Brokering a Gaza Hostage Deal to End the War – MishTalk

I am skeptical of deals until they happen, but this one looks real. Congrats to Trump.

Israeli Ministers Meet to Ratify Deal to End War in Gaza

CBC reports Israeli Ministers Meet to Ratify Deal to End War in Gaza

• Israel and Hamas have signed a deal to stop fighting and swap Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, the most significant step yet to end the war in Gaza after two years.
• Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the news was announced.
• The leader of Hamas said he was assured the agreement will end the war in Gaza, while U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal was a major breakthrough.
• The world is now waiting to see whether the Israeli government ratifies the deal. Cabinet ministers are meeting tonight to make their decision.
• Canada is in talks to join a task force to help find and return the bodies of Israeli hostages who died in captivity.
• More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in response to the attacks led by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. At that time, 1,200 Israelis were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.

Hostages Released Monday or Tuesday

NBC News reports Trump says hostages will be released ‘Monday or Tuesday’ as he plans travel to Middle East

• Deal Announced: President Donald Trump announced last night that the “first phase” of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza had been agreed to. It includes a pause in fighting and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
• Trump Traveling to Egypt:Trump said he is planning to travel to Egypt for an official signing of the ceasefire deal during opening remarks at his White House Cabinet meeting.
• Calls for Peace: The Israeli Cabinet is meeting to vote on whether to approve the deal, with a ceasefire taking effect “within 24 hours.” Scenes from Gaza of devastation and hunger, as well as a famine declaration, have prompted outrage around the world and left Israel isolated diplomatically.
• Hostages to Be Released: The White House said that it expects hostages to be released Monday. Forty-eight hostages remain to be returned, of whom Israel says it believes 20 are still alive.
• Toll of the Two-Year War: The agreement comes almost two years to the day after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Since then, more than 67,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
• Issues Remain: It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarize, as Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.

20-Point Plan

1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.
2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7^th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.
9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.
14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.
15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.
16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.
17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.
19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.

Expect More Palestinian Aid

The New York Times reports What We Know About the Hostage Deal Between Israel and Hamas

Israel and Hamas have agreed to an exchange of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners, President Trump announced on Wednesday. But as people across the Middle East woke up to news of the agreement on Thursday, many of the details were still unclear.

Some of the most sensitive questions — such as whether Hamas would lay down its arms and who would run the Palestinian enclave after the war — still need to be worked out.

The plan says hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners are expected to be exchanged about three days after Israel formally ratifies the cease-fire. The roughly 20 living hostages are likely to be released on Sunday or Monday, according to an Israeli official, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive matters.

Israeli forces would also withdraw to an agreed-upon line, although the precise location has yet to be made public. Mr. Trump’s proposal contained maps showing Israeli withdrawal lines, but those appear to have been amended during the course of the negotiations, according to two Israeli officials and an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters.

Under Mr. Trump’s plan, about 20 living Israeli hostages would be exchanged for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel and 1,700 Gazans detained during the war. The bodies of 15 Gazans would be returned for the remains of each Israeli.

Officials and analysts say that turning over the bodies of the roughly 25 hostages who were killed would likely be more complicated and take longer.

The deal is expected to allow more aid into Gaza.

Mr. Trump’s proposal called for an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been gripped by a hunger crisis for much of the war. Aid groups have blamed Israeli restrictions on food and other goods entering the enclave for the shortages, which led international monitors to declare a famine in parts of northern Gaza this summer. Israel has denied the characterization.

Hamas and Qatar indicated in their initial statements about the agreement that it would allow for more aid to flow. But the details were unclear.

An earlier, short-lived cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in January stipulated that hundreds of trucks ferrying supplies would enter the enclave each day.

It’s unclear whether Hamas will disarm.

For Mr. Trump’s full peace plan to work, diplomats and negotiators will probably need to resolve a crucial question: Will Hamas agree to give up its weapons?

Mr. Netanyahu has long insisted that he would not accept an agreement in which Hamas refuses to disarm. The Palestinian militant group has publicly rejected his demands that it do so.

Mr. Trump did not mention that issue in his social media post or in a television interview afterward, and there were no immediate public comments about it from Israel or Hamas.

Some Arab mediators negotiating an end to the war in Gaza believe that they can persuade Hamas to partially disarm, The New York Times reported this week.

Will Peace Work?

The New York Times commented For Mr. Trump’s full peace plan to work, the crucial question is: Will Hamas agree to give up its weapons?

That is more than a bit optimistic. Arab states will not want to see Israel take over the West Bank.

There was no mention of a Palestinian state which I believe is a prerequisite to lasting peace.

Where is Israel withdrawing troops to? Where is rebuilding aid coming from? War contamination of land and water supplies?

We Have a Start

Despite all of the missing pieces, we have a start. But there was no way to negotiate all of the missing pieces I mentioned.

So, congrats to Trump for the start, even if it is less than ideal, because ideal was impossible.

As a Libertarian, I always praise peace.