Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to reignite the Gaza war, but he faces a serious obstacle: Washington does not share his desire.
Ten days after the ceasefire agreement was signed in Sharm El-Sheikh in a ceremony attended by US President Donald Trump, the United States has dispatched peace envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Vice-President JD Vance to the region.
The mission represents both a demonstration of American diplomatic resolve and an urgent attempt to rescue a fragile accord before it unravels.
For Washington, the war has become an enterprise draining both Israel and the United States — costly, prolonged, and devoid of strategic benefit. The Trump administration seeks to convince Tel Aviv that adhering to the Gaza ceasefire could unlock the very transformation of the Middle East that Netanyahu himself has long projected.
While Kushner, Witkoff, and Vance labour to persuade Israel to uphold the agreement and proceed to its second phase, another envoy, Tom Barrack, has suggested that Syria and Lebanon may soon be invited to follow the path of normalisation with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords and reshaping the region’s geopolitical map.
In a sign of Washington’s keenness to prevent the agreement from collapsing, in a veiled defence of Hamas, Trump said that reprisals against alleged collaborators with Israel in Gaza were the work of rogue individuals rather than the group’s leadership.
He further explained that the presence of Hamas police officers on Gaza’s streets had been agreed upon as a temporary measure to maintain order and prevent security breaches during the prisoner and hostage-exchange process.
Kushner stated that Hamas was “seriously searching for the bodies” of the hostages and intended to “honour their agreement.” Vance admitted that maintaining the peace would bring “hills and valleys,” but added that the current accord “has the best chance yet.”
On Tuesday, the New York Times quoted US officials as saying there is growing concern within the Trump administration about the possibility of Netanyahu withdrawing from the ceasefire agreement.
The newspaper reported that the current US strategy is focused on preventing the Israeli premier from resuming full-scale military operations. A senior official said Witkoff and Kushner recognised that the situation was “extremely delicate” and that the Gaza agreement was “in danger of collapse.”
Meanwhile, Hamas has announced that it has fulfilled its obligations under the deal, having handed over all the living hostages as well as a number of bodies. Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said the movement was serious in its efforts to “recover the bodies of all the Israeli prisoners,” though he admitted that the task remained extremely difficult.
In recent days, the Palestinian Red Crescent has received the bodies of dozens of Palestinian prisoners previously held by Israel. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that several of these bodies bore signs of abuse, beatings, handcuffing, and blindfolding, with many showing gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
Hamas has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the truce, citing heavy shelling that left dozens dead, the continued detention of hundreds of women and children, and the closure of the Rafah Crossing while allowing only minimal humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Despite these setbacks, efforts to move forward with the second phase of the agreement continue among the United States, regional mediators, and the Palestinians.
Witkoff, Kushner, and Vance are working to initiate this second phase, which envisions the disarmament of Hamas’ military wing, the establishment of an internationally supported transitional authority to govern Gaza, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from key zones under international monitoring.
The plan also includes a large-scale humanitarian and reconstruction effort linked to progress on these fronts. Regional powers are currently designing an international stabilisation force to oversee its implementation.
For Washington, the success of the second phase represents the linchpin of its broader diplomatic gamble. For Israel, the proposal is acceptable only if it leads to the complete demilitarisation of Gaza and the end of Hamas’ political control.
Netanyahu reiterated on Monday that “the war will not stop until Hamas is disarmed, and its control of the Strip ends.”
For Palestinians, however, the idea of an externally designed governing authority evokes deep suspicion. Many fear it could serve as a pretext for prolonged foreign interference in Palestinian political life.
The situation remains highly volatile. Yet, the United States has chosen this precise moment to send its most senior envoys to the region since the ceasefire began on 10 October. The message is clear: Washington will not allow the truce to drift towards collapse.
Officially, the visits by Witkoff and Kushner were described as “discussions on developments and updates in the region,” but the mission carries far greater significance. The envoys are pressing for a transition from a tenuous cessation of hostilities to a more structured, enforceable framework that moves beyond simply ending the fighting.
Vance’s participation underscores the seriousness of the US effort, as rarely does a US vice-president enter a conflict zone so soon after a ceasefire.
The American diplomatic surge carries multiple meanings. It conveys a sense of urgency and a recognition that the truce could unravel at any moment, and it reflects a broader recalibration of US policy in the Middle East.
Washington seeks to restrain Israel’s expansive war aims while promoting an outcome that neutralises Hamas, stabilises Gaza, and prevents a deeper American entanglement in the conflict.
Yet, the realities on the ground in Gaza complicate this vision. The Strip is now fragmented into zones of competing control. In the north, Israeli forces maintain entrenched positions. In central Gaza, Hamas still commands loyalty and exercises limited governance. In the south, particularly around Rafah, armed clans and militias have filled the vacuum. Gaza has become a patchwork of shifting allegiances and fractured authority.
This fragmentation is compounded by a dire humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies report that assistance entering Gaza remains “far below the level of need.” For many Palestinians, the ceasefire has brought no tangible relief.
The Israeli position is equally alarming. Netanyahu’s insistence that the war will continue until Hamas is disarmed suggests that Israel intends to maintain a long-term military presence inside Gaza. This, in effect, could amount to a managed occupation justified in the name of “national security.”
US officials have quietly urged Israel to curb its airstrikes and reopen the crossings to allow greater humanitarian access. According to diplomatic sources, Trump privately expressed concerns, relayed through Kushner, that Israel was “getting a little bit out of control” and acting in ways contrary to its own long-term interests.
Even so, the American leverage remains limited. The ceasefire’s survival depends on constant mediation and day-to-day diplomacy.
Whether the second phase will be implemented depends on a volatile mix of conditions. The best case scenario envisions gradual progress: Israel refrains from large-scale operations, Hamas maintains restraint, humanitarian aid increases, regional actors establish a stabilisation mechanism, and a technocratic Palestinian authority begins to function under international supervision.
In that case, Gaza might begin a slow transition from devastation towards reconstruction, and the ceasefire could gain durability.
A more likely outcome, however, is a truce that exists in name only while violence simmers beneath the surface. Aid may flow unevenly, reconstruction be delayed by Israeli conditions, Hamas retain limited control in some areas, and new governance structures exist largely on paper.
Such a half-peace, half-conflict scenario could persist for months. American envoys now face the delicate task of persuading Israel to respect the peace deal.
The US intentions are also not purely humanitarian. The diplomatic surge fits within a broader regional strategy. The White House aims to use the ceasefire to revive the momentum of the Abraham Accords, bring additional Arab states into normalisation with Israel, and demonstrate that Washington can still deliver stability in a volatile region. Gaza has become both the test and the showcase of that ambition.
Kushner has argued that if Hamas is disarmed and a credible alternative administration installed in Gaza, the ceasefire could become a “model for a new Middle East alignment”. Witkoff has likewise emphasised that expanding the Abraham Accords remains central to Washington’s post-ceasefire agenda.
Trump’s envoy Massad Boulos, echoing Tom Barrack, expressed optimism that the truce would hold even amid sporadic clashes, adding that regional peace talks could soon expand to include Syria and Lebanon.
An Arab diplomat based in London told Al-Ahram Weekly that the challenges that surfaced during the first phase of the ceasefire underscore the formidable obstacles that lie ahead.
“Washington’s commitment to preserving the Gaza ceasefire,” he said, “appears stronger than its concern for Gaza itself. The United States views the Strip as one element in a broader regional design. Trump is eager to expand the Abraham Accords, seeking normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. His goal is to reinforce America’s global standing amid its ongoing rivalry with China in a contest for influence, resources, and strategic reach.”
He argued that Netanyahu’s priorities diverge sharply from these. “For him, consolidating control over Gaza and the West Bank and pursuing the displacement of the Palestinians are far more important than the Abraham Accords, which he now regards as secondary. This has created a real tension between Washington and Tel Aviv.”
The broader logic of American diplomacy is clear: Washington is attempting to transform a fragile ceasefire into a geopolitical pivot, moving from chaos to managed stability and from a local truce to a regional realignment.
It is an audacious gamble. The alternative is renewed war, with Israel entrenched in Gaza, Hamas regrouping underground, and the region once again descending into a cycle of confrontation and uncertainty.
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