There are moments in war when silence feels less like peace and more like a held breath. Gaza, battered by months of bombardment and human loss, has entered one such moment. The ceasefire, brokered through a lattice of American, Egyptian, and Qatari diplomacy, was never built to last; it was built to buy time.

Time to exchange hostages. Time to move aid. Time to decide what comes next. But time, as history often reminds us in this region, is a scarce and contested resource.

THE DEAL THAT HOLDS BY THREADS

The agreement, stitched together under intense American pressure, halted large-scale Israeli offensives and opened Gaza’s borders to a trickle of humanitarian relief. In return, Hamas pledged a halt to attacks and the gradual release of hostages—living and dead.

Behind the choreography of diplomacy lies the scaffolding of mistrust. Each clause is shadowed by suspicion; every delay interpreted as betrayal. Both sides agreed, yet neither truly consented.

American officials privately describe this deal as “the most fragile understanding in a decade". Its architecture depends not on signatures, but on........

© News18