The latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have once again exposed the frailty of what the world had hoped would be a lasting truce. Barely days after the so-called Gaza Plan was endorsed in Cairo as a new framework for postwar reconstruction and governance, the region is back to the grimly familiar cycle of escalation. Israeli warplanes struck targets across the strip, claiming retaliation for Hamas attacks that killed two soldiers, while Hamas accused Israel of using minor security incidents as a pretext to bomb civilian neighborhoods. Whatever the justification, the result is undeniable, dozens of Palestinian civilians are dead, aid convoys have halted again, and the prospect of peace has faded into yet another mirage.

The Gaza Plan, announced with much fanfare at a regional summit in Egypt, was meant to be the first coordinated attempt to stabilize Gaza after years of devastation. It was framed as a multi-phase roadmap, restoring humanitarian access, rebuilding essential infrastructure, and eventually paving the way for limited self-rule under international supervision. Arab states pledged financial and logistical backing, the European Union promised technical assistance, and even Israel cautiously signaled willingness to cooperate, so long as its security concerns were addressed. For a brief moment, the plan seemed to capture a rare alignment of interests between regional actors long at odds over Gaza’s fate.

Yet the optimism was always fragile, and this week’s renewed fighting demonstrates why. The plan assumed a degree of restraint and mutual trust that simply does not exist between Israel and Hamas. Each side continues to view the other not as a negotiating counterpart but as a mortal enemy. For Israel, Hamas remains a terrorist organization whose elimination is a matter of national survival. For Hamas, Israel’s control of Gaza’s borders, airspace, and economy is proof that the occupation never truly ended. The Gaza Plan, designed as a technocratic blueprint, could not bridge this fundamental divide.

The United States,........

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