The ceasefire in Gaza, brokered after two years of devastating war, has brought much-needed relief. The release of 20 Israeli and over 2,000 Palestinian detainees, followed by a partial Israeli troop withdrawal, marked a moment of respite. Yet peace built on optics is not justice. The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, convened soon after, formalised Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan. Projected as a diplomatic breakthrough and a multilateral stride toward regional stability, it already shows deep cracks under the strain of mistrust and unequal terms.
Trump called it “one of the most significant peace efforts” in Middle East history, flaunting the presence of 20-odd world leaders in the Egyptian city. But the plan’s flaws—its vagueness, top-down imposition, and exclusion of Palestinian voices—are glaring. It removes Hamas from political life by decree, ties aid and reconstruction to Israeli security metrics, and hands Gaza’s future to an international ‘Board of Peace’ chaired by Trump himself. There are no timelines for demilitarisation, no assurance of Palestinian sovereignty, and no commitment to end the occupation. For all its lofty rhetoric, this looks less like a peace blueprint and more like a containment strategy.
Trump declared it “a beautiful day” for the region. The reality is far harsher. Gaza’s humanitarian collapse cannot be reversed with speeches and aid convoys. Violence has already resurfaced. As even summit leaders admitted, peace cannot be built on concrete alone—it demands political reconciliation and institutional renewal. The agreement’s fate will depend not on diplomacy’s theatre, but on sustained political will, financial backing, and genuine inclusion of those whose lives lie in the rubble. That means confronting the unresolved fundamentals: borders, refugees, dignity, and the two-state vision.
India, which welcomed the ceasefi re, has the chance to move from a cautious observer to a credible actor. With its historic ties to Palestine and growing goodwill with Israel, New Delhi could help shape a just and lasting peace. For now, this ceasefire is a pause, not peace. The world must demand more than managed calm—it must insist on a future that Palestinians, too, help define.
