Israel approves a deal with Hamas. Trump’s plan moves forward.
Cease-Fire in Gaza
The Wall Street Journal reports Israeli Government Approves Hostage Deal Setting a Cease-Fire in Gaza
Israel’s government approved an agreement brokered by the Trump administration to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas and establish a cease-fire in Gaza, sealing a diplomatic breakthrough after months of failed talks.
The hostage deal, which President Trump announced from the White House on Wednesday, promises to close a major wound opened by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel and give momentum to the effort to end a two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead and the enclave in ruins.
The deal will bring the first significant pause in fighting since March, and the administration hopes it will be the first step toward a longer-term settlement that will involve talks over the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an interim government to oversee Gaza.
U.S. troops began to arrive in Israel Thursday, the first of about 200 being sent to support the cease-fire in Gaza as part of an international team, according to U.S. officials.
The troops will help monitor the implementation of the cease-fire and eventual transition to a civilian government, according to a U.S. official. They will also help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced resistance to ending the war from far-right members of his coalition government, welcomed the deal to bring home Israeli hostages.
“This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the state of Israel,” he said early Thursday.
Israeli polling for months has shown strong majorities in support of ending the fighting to free the hostages, including among voters on the right. Tel Aviv was buzzing with hopes for a deal.
On Thursday, thousands of people—whole families with their dogs and children, soldiers in uniform, individuals and groups of friends—gathered at a courtyard in Tel Aviv known as Hostage Square to celebrate the deal. Unlike most days at Hostage Square, where gatherings are typically somber, people sang, beat drums and waved Israeli and American flags.
Hamas wants Israel to withdraw from around 70% of Gaza in return for the release of hostages, Arab mediators said. Israel wants to withdraw from less territory, and the two sides are still negotiating this detail, according to people briefed on the negotiations.
“We ended the war in Gaza, and really on a much bigger basis created peace,” he said during a cabinet meeting. “All Americans should be proud of the role that our country has played in bringing this terrible conflict to an end.”
Praise to Trump for Brokering a Gaza Hostage Deal to End the War
Earlier this evening, I commented Praise to Trump for Brokering a Gaza Hostage Deal to End the War
I am skeptical of deals until they happen, but this one looks real. Congrats to Trump.
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?
Lots of Issues remain and success is not assured. Click above for Trump’s 20-Point Plan and additional comments.
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.
Addendum
The Gaza Cease-Fire Is Great, US Troop Involvement Isn’t
Details are still missing, but I failed to comment on one key aspect.
For discussion please see The Gaza Cease-Fire Is Great, US Troop Involvement Isn’t
They better make sure their life insurance is up-to-date.
Boots on the Ground!
Something tells me they’ll be staying for a while and sooner than anyone guesses there will be another American Base in a foreign land.
The violence will resume before they even arrive.
My guess is that Trump squeezed the anti-Christ (Netanyahu). Hopefully, this will work but Israel is still a brutal, thug state, so success is questionable.
I don’t have a horse in this race, but it’ll be a timeout. Israel wants more land and they won’t be stopped.
“Keep the Champagne corked.”
https://thefloutist.substack.com/p/keep-the-champagne-corked
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement, this morning the IDF (Israel “Defense” Forces) continued “its bombardment across various areas of the Gaza Strip”, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which in another article reported on the skepticism of Palestinians in the US, such as Mosab Abu Toha,
https://geopolitiq.substack.com/p/is-trumpanyahus-peace-plan-being
– Israel approves a deal with Hamas. Trump’s plan moves forward.
> You have to hand it to the “Peace Maker” Last Term No Wars, and this term more Peace Plans and more to follow!!
– On Thursday, thousands of people—whole families with their dogs and children, soldiers in uniform, individuals and groups of friends—gathered at a courtyard in Tel Aviv known as Hostage Square to celebrate the deal. Unlike most days at Hostage Square, where gatherings are typically somber, people sang, beat drums and waved Israeli and American flags.
> What a Beautiful Day for the World, Israel, and America! I just love to see, hear, listen to, or be part of stories such as this! Peace, Love & Friendship is/should be the Ultimate Goal of the World, so whenever it’s on full display, it’s a spectacular achievement!!! Thank you to ALL who participated in such a truly wonderful occurrence for ALL!!
Macron and the UN declared a Palestinian state, but first Hamas has to go. Bibi kept
the comatose Hamas alive. Hamas demands Sinwar bros mummies. Bibi said: no. Hamas demands 3 west bank leaders. Bibi said: no. There is hope that within 72h Israel will get a few mummies. Thereafter Israel will stay put in new defensive lines inside Jasa. The IDF will not run Jasa madhouse. They will leave it to Qatar, MBS, Erdogan Tony Blair and Trump. Hamas will kidnap a few for ransom to show its power. Erdogan sent a Turkish flotilla to provoke Bibi. Israel might let them in to avoid conflict with ego maniac Erdogan. But if not: stay tune…
wont last long..
nothing was settled. war /iran is coming.
War with Israel, is War with America and Peace. Not going to happen by any major Country IMO, and if any small fraction acts up, they will be instantly annihilated. Any Major Country, will be sealing there Countries Fate and the People will not stand for that, as they see what will happen to them.
This is more than just a Peace Plan with Israel, but more of a Plan for The Middle-East as a whole. This will bring stability now, and that always leaves a chance for change to occur. I see that potentially happening now.
=This will bring stability now,
thanks buddy!
it is Friday WE ALL NEED GOOD LAUGH AFTER WORKING WEEK!
“Potentially” because of egg heads like You!
Sure you get a good laugh, but in Israel, they got Death & Destruction not long ago. America is trying, so put your TDS Aside for a moment, and you lust for hate for those who disagree with you, and realize the importance of such an event!!
Not just for America & The Middle East, but for
The whole World to also bear witness to as well. Peace Anywhere is Good for The World to see!!
Some, like yourself obviously, plead for a Nuclear War, and think that will make your self destructive behavior brighter. So while you sit happily by awaiting for Peace to Fall, I will stand here with Hope for Peace, Thank You!
= so put your TDS Aside for a moment,
mor11on. my sister married into jew, and live /w kids in Israel!!
I am not moronic american from middle of Omaha who never opened a hist book.!!
I KNOW history of region ,and what happened 2 3 and 5 000 years ago in that region.
I bet you dont!!!
ps
you are posting like you are not human , some kind of AI robot!
get lost. dont have time for uneducated peasants like you!
get back to school!
– my sister married into jew, and live /w kids in Israel!! > I have relatives married to Jewish Others, so yes my eyes are open…
– I KNOW history of region ,and what happened 2 3 and 5 000 years ago. > So what you actually know, is simple History, and even from 5,000 years ago. What do you know about tomorrow? Is it the same as what happened 500 years ago? I know what happened this morning, it not this evening, but what about You? By now you hopefully get my point. I have bought many homes over the last 30+ Years, but have bought none in the last 20+ and will never buy another one, ever.
>> Tomorrow has nothing to do with last year or yesterday. You might be gone this evening, and so may I. What will go on is Life as in Nature and Evolution, and with that comes change, some Good and some Bad. Nobody know which and how much of each…
– get lost. dont have time for uneducated peasants like you! > Too bad, but You should make some time, and maybe learn something… or maybe not.
>>> Pray for Peace, as We Do Know it’s better than War. Why wait for another War to start praying, when perhaps this time, with prayers and Life, time, and the Unknown ahead of us, we may actually accomplish some!!!
The risk of war with Sultan Erdogan, backed by Trump, is higher than with Iran.
w./ israel? please
====
turkey is not 3th world country,. it is 2d biggest army in NATO
only army that has combat experience.
it is 80 mil against 10 mil.
==
and IF THIS HAPPENS somehow TURKEY CLOSE OUT Dardanelles and Bosphorus FOR NATO AND open up for Russians!!
Russia will eat alive all black sea countries!
open up a map!!!
alx
= TRUMP DID NOT GET NOBEL PRIZE.
jesus. what a childish m1oron .
expect fireworks.
This is a Kennedy moment for Trump. Members of the ‘all lands must serve Zionism’ party will be looking at how JFK, Rabin etc were stopped when they started moving forward with radical ideas.
Something is amiss here
We support Mish’s optimism, people inside the USA (even Democrat craphole cities) don’t appreciate the hellhole existence of most people in.. Mumbai, Damascus, and Manchester (haha). On the other hand, squashing a few Hamas cockroaches is second order for Jerusalem compared to War on Iran… the sequel to the 12 Day War: Longer, explosive, uncut! Netanyahu needs to conserve his resources; those bungholes in Syria might need squashing while Iranian missiles create havoc inside physically tiny Israel. Likely to happen before Dec, 31. Keep up the great analysis!
Peace over there can work temporarily (under the supervision of a third powerful country). When supervision is gone, they’ll start again, everybody against everybody. Same for Europe. The period 1945 – 2025 is the longest period of peace between European countries, under the supervision of the USA. When the USA withdraws, they’ll split and start fighting again.
As Pete Hegseth recently acknowledged, the military isn’t good at policing, its purpose is to kill people and break things (part of his justification for renaming the DoD the DoW). Peacekeeping by the US military didn’t work in Afghanistan, it didn’t work in Iraq, and it didn’t work in Mogadishu. By the way, you claim Europe has been at peace for 80 years? Don’t forget Bosnia, a country very much in Europe. 30 years ago it was about as peaceful as Gaza. Ukraine isn’t exactly peaceful these days either…
You’re right, I forgot Bosnia (I was in Europe at the time, and it got much less coverage in the Media than Iraq II had gotten). It was not seen as a European war by European Media, it was seen as a US/EU intervention to stop a genocide. While Iraq II was almost 24/7 coverage, Bosnia was mostly kicked on page 4.
The Central European Apparatus doesn’t like any country having a big army in the area, whether it’s Croatia or Ukraine. And in Europe we don’t really see Eastern Ukraine as “Europe” – more like Asia.
At any rate, the Middle East is setup to always fight, with or without Western intervention. It’s of course part of the Middle-Eastern culture to present themselves as victims and poor beggars, even in their daily lives, and the West should stop falling for this attitude. Those governments down there have no problem sacrificing millions of their own for millions in dollars. Remember Yasser Arafat? He died a billionaire.
Speaking of geography and ‘Europe vs Asia, isn’t ‘Europe’ geographically designated as ‘west of the Ural Mountains’ ? I believe that Moscow is the largest city in Europe.
Totally agree with this. It has been impossible for Israelis or Palestines to be rationale over the last few years so I really hope that the world community can step in (physically) to support both sides reach peace without favouring one side or the other. Not sure that the US is an honest impartial actor in all this but lets see.
Absolutely agree about Europe as well. However, I’m not sure that it is the US withdrawing that will trigger fighting again. The rise of populism and its drive towards breaking up the EU is really going to create war at some point. If only the non-populist governments were a bit more competent.
Mish, are you drinking tonight? “As a libertarian, I always praise peace.” Most libertarians praise liberty, which is sometimes–perhaps often–incompatible with political declarations of “peace.” “[W]e have a start.” No, we have a charade that is incompatible with the reality of the Arab-Israeli conflict, on a par with the cretinous Sharon government’s 2005 decision to forcefully remove Jews from Gaza and cede the place to the PA. The fantasy even relies on the same images: hate-filled Arabs giving up the decades-old hope of destroying Zionism in return for prosperity. The b.s. was ankle-deep on the ground in 2005, and the fantasy lasted how long? Less than two years. Unfortunately, the only peace Israel can hope for is through the destruction of anti-Zionist dreams, and that is wishful thinking: for how many generations would you have to occupy every square meter of Gaza, controlling the education of every Arab child, to sell civilization to a population that has been nursed from the cradle for generations on dreams of mass-murder?
And the U.S.is going to have troops in the middle of this show? I don’t understand how seemingly authentic non-interventionists like Gabbard can remain in this administration.
As for the more conventional Republican lickspittles, I get it: “This time will be different because we’re running things.” As jobholders, they’ve got a stake in lying to themselves. What’s your excuse, Mish?
200 American soldiers… plus 10s of billions of US taxpayer $s (to fund the Gazan genocide) in addition to the $4 billion annual tribute we pay Israel (as well as $3 billion each to Egypt and Jordan, an annual bribe from the US to be nice to Israel). Why is it our business that the Israelis have been fighting their neighbors ever since the 1948 invasion? Because that little apartheid state in the hemisphere opposite the one we live in…rules the DC Swamp & the Mockingbird media.
Would you rather the area be a mess? Another long period of the Suez Canal being blocked like from 1967 to into the 70s?
As for the 1948 invasion the Jews managed to stop that invasion by the Arab nations and ended up with more land than originally mandated.
As for 3 billion each to Egypt and Jordan it’s more like half that.
And the Israelis really suck at committing genocide as after 2 years they only managed to exterminate at a rate lower than the annual population growth rate.
I’m glad that Trump seems to be pulling this off as my home is between Cairo and the Canal and who needs a war on your doorstep
Stinks to high heaven. Trump already stated that he wants Gaza to become like the “The Riviera” (presumably to the benefit of Israel and him) and this seems like another step towards that goal.
Watch Israel kill some Americans and blame the Palestinians. I hope not, but they would if they thought they could get away with it.
Watch some Palestinian terrorist kill an American and blame it on Israel.
Trump is a fool to agree to this! The Senate should put a stop to this idea.
One dead American soldier and low-information Americans will be totally onboard with bombing the heck out of Iran…which of course is one of Netanyahu’s dream objectives. This stinks!
The USS Liberty bombing is a very definite and tragic example of this gambit by the Israelis. (And Mossad definitely had something on LBJ, who treated the victims of the Liberty like garbage.)
Are those 200 US troops to secure the mile of prime waterfront real estate for the new Trump Tower and Golf Club/Resort?
Almost certainly part of the greater plan.
On the new Gaza Rivera! 50% off! Come one, come all!
Congrats seem a bit premature. We still have phase 2 and phase 3. I don’t believe Netanyahu has retracted his statement from last week that there will never be a Palestinian State. Nevertheless, anything that will even temporarily stop the carnage and relieve the terrible suffering of the women and children in Gaza is a very positive development.