Ceasefire Without Accountability: Why Gaza’s Peace Plan Is Failing

 Due to Israel’s continuous violations of the ceasefire and the persistence of its genocidal operations in Gaza, Trump’s 20-point peace plan seems to be in extreme jeopardy.

Abbas Hashemite

The Promise of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan

In September 2025, US President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which was later endorsed by numerous Muslim countries and the United Nations as well through Security Council Resolution 2803. This resolution was hailed as the most significant attempt to end a long cycle of turmoil and devastation in the Gaza Strip. Trump’s peace deal promised a systematic ceasefire under which the Israeli forces would withdraw from the enclave in different phases. Moreover, the Israeli hostages will be released by Hamas. In return, the Israeli military will release Palestinian prisoners. In addition, a transitional governing body will be established to supervise the redevelopment process of the Gaza enclave. Many around the world believed that the Trump administration and Israel had developed a serious and pragmatic pathway towards perpetual peace in the Middle East. However, recent events show that this plan is facing a solemn crisis and threats.

Ceasefire Violations and the Humanitarian Catastrophe

The only pragmatic way to establish a perpetual peace in Gaza and the Middle East is to establish an independent Palestinian state, governed by the native people

Since October 10, 2025, Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 738 times. It continues to intentionally target Palestinian civilians under the pretense of targeting Hamas infrastructure. Moreover, the Israeli Defense Forces deliberately disrupt the access of humanitarian aid to starve Palestinian civilians, including women and children. In its latest report, the UNRWA states, “The Israeli Authorities continue to block UNRWA from directly bringing humanitarian personnel and aid into the Gaza Strip.” The report further states, “On 8 December, Israeli police, accompanied by municipal officials, forcibly entered the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem, cutting all communications, seizing furniture, IT equipment, and other property, and replacing the UN flag with an Israeli flag.” These deliberate disruptions of humanitarian assistance to Gazans are leading to severe starvation and malnutrition among children. According to UNICEF, 5119 children, between 6 months and 5 years of age, are diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza.

International Paralysis and the Collapse of the Stabilization Framework

However, despite all these violations, the Israeli government enjoys total impunity, as no strict action against the Zionist regime has been taken by any international organization or country. The UN-mandated International Stabilization Force, which was meant to establish peace in Gaza during the transition period, also struggles to be established, as Muslim countries are hesitant to contribute troops to this force, lest a serious public uprising occur over its controversial mandate of disarming Hamas. People around the world see this force as a pro-Israel force due to this controversial mandate. Therefore, Muslim countries that will contribute troops to this force will have to face serious domestic backlash. Moreover, the so-called Board of Peace, a body that is authorized to govern the Gaza enclave during transition, is also struggling to be established due to widening regional mistrust, operational ambiguity, and political tensions. This demonstrates that Trump’s promise of stability is struggling under the burden of reality.

Hamas officials have recently declared Israel’s “blatant and outrageous violations” a threat to the ceasefire agreement between the two sides. Moreover, Hamas has accepted Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. However, it has rejected the peace plan’s demand for total disarmament of Hamas. It refuses to surrender its weapons to Israel or what it calls “foreign guardianship” of the Gaza Strip. Indeed, equal treatment and conditions on both sides are mandatory for successfully implementing the peace plan. The Israeli violations and changing regional dynamics have increased complications for the United Nations, which is mandated to create the International Stabilization Force (ISF) through Resolution 2803. However, weeks after passing this resolution, not even a single country has expressed its intent to contribute troops to this force, increasing the complexities for the United Nations. This is mainly because all the major Muslim powers fear operational and political risks in Gaza and at home, respectively.

Due to rising pressure from people around the Muslim world, Muslim nations have pulled back from their commitment to contribute troops to the ISF, lest it make them appear as legitimizing a Western and Israeli plan to perpetuate Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory. Turkey, although ready to contribute troops to the ISF, has been excluded by the Israeli government. On the other hand, Egypt, one of the closest neighbors of Gaza, is cautious in its commitment to contributing troops to the ISF. It seeks that the United Nations clearly state all the rules and regulations of the ISF so that it may not become a party in any future conflict between the two sides. The ISF was considered the backbone of this peace plan. However, the reluctance of different countries to contribute troops to this force and the continuous violations by the Israeli government of the ceasefire agreement demonstrate that this so-called peace plan is bound to fail. The only pragmatic way to establish a perpetual peace in Gaza and the Middle East is to establish an independent Palestinian state, governed by the native people. Otherwise, this war between Israel and Hamas would expand to the whole region sooner.

Аbbas Hashemite is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist