President Donald Trump has achieved a major breakthrough in achieving peace between Israel and Gaza.
On Friday, the terrorist organization Hamas announced that they had accepted major portions of Trump's peace proposal. Most importantly, Hamas agreed to release the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive.
Hamas has also supposedly agreed to give up power and disarm in return for Israel withdrawing the IDF in stages from the Gaza strip.
However, not everything is set in stone yet as Egypt and Qatar, who are acting as intermediaries, have confirmed that there are still minor issues that need further negotiation.
Minor details and negotiations aside, this is the closest that Israel and Hamas have come to agreeing on a peace deal since this devastating war started on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas launched a brutal terror attack.
This announcement of Hamas accepting the major points in Trump's peace deal represents a giant victory for Trump's international diplomacy and a delivery on his promise to bring an end to this war.
Of course, there is still a lot of pressure on Hamas, as Israel has accepted the deal despite the major concessions they were forced to make. The international community has also rallied behind this agreement.
Trump took to Truth Social, warning Hamas, "An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER."
Essentially, Hamas has absolutely no choice and this peace deal represents both the best deal they can get and a deal that they really don't deserve.
Hamas's barbaric terrorism is well documented, and they really should be annihilated, but concerns about innocents caught in the crossfire are being weighed heavily.
The people of Gaza have been savaged by this war between Israel and Hamas and the death toll, though greatly exaggerated by Hamas, is undoubtedly brutal. Furthermore, millions are suffering famine and deprivation as a result of the blockade.
Trump has forced Israel to make painful concessions to achieve peace, but if Hamas backs out, total annihilation and the deaths of more innocents will undoubtedly follow.
Some have complained that this deal still favors Israel too strongly but that ignores the reality that Israel holds all the cards in this situation. It is Hamas who has been holding the people of Gaza hostage as human shields for the past two years.
Trump seems confident that common sense will win out in the end even as Sunday's deadline rapidly approaches. Should this go off without a hitch, it will represent a giant accomplishment for the Trump administration.
It was under a year ago that Democrats screeched about Trump's supposed inability to navigate international diplomacy even as former President Joe Biden watched this devastating war rage with no significant action to end it.
Hopefully, wrapping up the war in Gaza will allow the Trump administration to focus on the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine that has also raged on for far too long.
