Hamas Is Afraid Gaza Will Become Lebanon. So Is Israel

Maintaining Its Arms Will Enable Hamas to Prevent Israel from Achieving the Aim of Keeping Hamas Away from Governance

Hamas fighters have put their uniforms back on and are out patrolling the streets, rifles on full display. Operatives have carried out executions of rivals and alleged collaborators in broad daylight. Above, elements of the Al-Qassam Brigades at the funeral of a terrorist killed in Gaza, in the city of Khan Yunis; February 13, 2025.

Hamas fighters have put their uniforms back on and are out patrolling the streets, rifles on full display. Operatives have carried out executions of rivals and alleged collaborators in broad daylight. Above: elements of the Al-Qassam Brigades at the funeral of a terrorist killed in Gaza, in the city of Khan Yunis; February 13, 2025.

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After much excitement around the ceasefire in Gaza last month, plus no small measure of pomp and circumstance, US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan has lost much of its momentum.

A string of senior US officials making the pilgrimage to Kiryat Gat — a phrase no journalist ever thought they would write — injected some energy into the process, but even the ongoing visits can’t hide the fact that Trump’s vision is encountering friction at every turn.

Still, the process is crawling forward, much of it the result of Trump’s stubborn determination.

Hamas has stretched out the handover process of slain hostages across the four weeks since the ceasefire went into effect, but now, only 6 of the 28 bodies the terror group held on October 10 remain in Gaza.

With phase one still incomplete, no talks have been held on phase two of the deal.

Yet the Trump administration is making sure things are moving in the right direction. A draft United Nations Security Council resolution has been circulating, aiming to create a mandate for peacekeeping forces that would make potential contributing states feel comfortable with the mission.

Read the full article at the Times of Israel.

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.
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