12 November 2025

Hamas is afraid Gaza will become Lebanon. So is Israel

Lazar Berman

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.Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top storiesYet 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.

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