After the euphoria and relief of Monday’s prisoner exchange and ceasefire, Tuesday has brought some ominous portents for the future of the Gaza peace deal.

For one thing, the shooting hasn’t stopped entirely. Five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike on Tuesday morning in Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood. According to the Israel Defense Forces, they had crossed the “yellow line” to which Israeli forces had withdrawn under the peace agreement. Hamas is also giving little indication that it plans on eliminating itself as either a political or military force: On Monday, video circulated of the group publicly executing seven men accused of collaboration with Israel. Israel has also decided not to reopen the Rafah border crossing, between Gaza and Egypt, and to continue to limit aid into the Gaza Strip, over Hamas’s failure to return the dead bodies of hostages still in Gaza. Four bodies were handed over on Monday, with 24 still remaining. The Red Cross has said it will take time to locate some of the bodies beneath the rubble.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the “hardest part” of ending the war had been accomplished and that rebuilding Gaza would likely be the “easiest.” Right now, it’s hard to find justification for that optimism.

What’s becoming increasingly clear as the deal goes into effect is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: It put off the “hardest” questions — when, if ever, will Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza entirely? When will Hamas disarm? Who will govern Gaza after they do? — until later, in order to prioritize a ceasefire and hostage release.

In hindsight, this was probably the right........

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