The sobering reality is that despite the optimism surrounding recent diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, the Trump administration’s proposed peace deal for Gaza is not a pathway to resolution but rather a carefully constructed trap. The agreement is designed to strip Hamas of all leverage while offering Palestinians nothing in return, virtually guaranteeing its rejection and the continuation of a genocide.

This is not an American peace plan in any meaningful sense. Rather, it represents an Israeli American initiative, crafted through close collaboration between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and figures within the Trump administration, most notably Jared Kushner. The distinction matters enormously. A neutral American mediation effort would presumably involve consultation with all parties and seek to balance competing interests. This agreement, by contrast, was developed without Hamas’s input and presented to them as a fait accompli‚ a done deal requiring only their signature.

The terms themselves reveal the lopsided nature of the arrangement. Hamas would be

required to release all hostages within a mere 72 hours and completely disarm‚ surrendering the two primary sources of leverage they possess in any negotiation. In exchange, Israel would withdraw from Gaza, though crucially, not completely. Perhaps most significantly, the proposal offers no political horizon for Palestinians, no pathway toward self-determination or statehood. It is a deal designed to give Israel everything it wants while giving Palestinians nothing.

Why would Hamas even consider such terms? They would be foolish to do so. Hamas currently possesses two forms of leverage: the hostages they hold and their military capabilities. These represent their only bargaining chips in a profoundly asymmetric conflict. To surrender both simultaneously, without securing meaningful concessions in return, would leave them utterly defenseless and without any means to influence future events.

Once disarmed and having released the hostages, Palestinians would have nothing left to prevent Israel from pursuing whatever policies it chooses in Gaza. The Israelis would be free to act with complete impunity, and Palestinians would have no recourse. From a strategic standpoint, acceptance of the deal would be tantamount to unconditional surrender without the protections that typically accompany such arrangements.

In all probability, Hamas will reject the proposal. And here the trap closes. Netanyahu has already made clear what will follow such a rejection: Israel will “finish the job.” In plain language, this means the continuation and likely intensification of military operations in Gaza. The peace proposal, then, functions less as a genuine diplomatic initiative and more as a pretext for escalation, allowing Israel to claim it offered a solution that was unreasonably refused.

The most appropriate characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza is genocide. This is not a term employed casually or for rhetorical effect. It is grounded in the conclusions reached by virtually every major human rights organization that has examined the situation, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Israeli organization B’Tselem, United Nations independent commissions, and numerous genocide scholars.

Are all these organizations and experts anti-Semitic? Are they engaged in a coordinated conspiracy to smear Israel? Such suggestions are absurd. These are professionals whose job is precisely to study such matters, and they have examined the evidence carefully and systematically. Their consensus carries........

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