The defiant appearance of heavily armed Hamas fighters during Sunday’s handover to the Red Cross of three Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the 7 October 2023 terrorist atrocities was a sinister reminder, if one were needed, that the ceasefire deal negotiated last week hangs by a thread – and could snap at any moment.

The basic problem, going forward, is that neither Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, nor Hamas’s reconstituted leadership, truly wants the truce to endure. Netanyahu was strong-armed, metaphorically kicking and screaming, into agreeing the deal by Donald Trump and his special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

For many months, Netanyahu, himself a hostage to far-right coalition allies, resisted the exact same proposals put forward last May by the then US president, Joe Biden. His possibly time-limited acquiescence now seems to be largely born of reluctance to rain on Trump’s inauguration parade in Washington.

Almost before the ink was dry, Netanyahu was reportedly reassuring disgruntled ministers that the ceasefire was temporary and that he had no intention of fully honouring its terms. He is said to have promised hardliners Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned in protest, and Bezalel Smotrich, who is threatening to do so, that he will soon resume the war.

The first phase of the ceasefire is due to last six weeks. Negotiations on the second stage, which calls for a full Israeli military withdrawal and the freeing of all living hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoner releases, must begin not later than 15 days from now. It’s doubtful they will get off the........

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