After Two Years of Fire: The Gaza War Pauses — But Is It Peace?
After nearly two years of intense bloodshed, the Israel–Hamas conflict has reached what appears to be its end. Yet in this region, every ceasefire is only a pause between two storms. What we see now is not true peace — merely an intermission.
Having grown exhausted and cornered, Hamas has agreed to a temporary truce, releasing the last 20 remaining hostages, along with the bodies of those who died in captivity. In response, Israel has freed several Palestinian detainees, including Hamas affiliates.
Amid this uneasy calm, former U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the Israeli Parliament, claiming credit for “stopping the war.” During his speech, he declared that 200 American military experts would soon be stationed in Gaza to assist in stabilization efforts — effectively signaling a direct U.S. footprint on Gazan soil. The Knesset responded with loud applause as Trump basked in self-praise.
Meanwhile, leaks from Israeli sources suggest that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic discussion with Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly offering a few suggestions for post-war management — and perhaps also eager to read Trump’s next political move.
Trump, on the other hand, already seems to be dreaming of the next Nobel Peace Prize — his team may soon even ask if it could be awarded a year early.
Although the guns have fallen silent and people everywhere feel a moment of relief, a silent sorrow runs beneath the surface. Neither Trump, nor the Arab nations involved, nor even Israel’s leadership has mentioned the two-state solution — once considered the cornerstone of peace. That silence speaks volumes; it may mean the idea itself is fading away.
The Hamas struggle has, in the end, collapsed without meaning. Any armed movement that lacks political direction ends in self-destruction.
History shows how different it once was. During Yasser Arafat’s era, when he called for an Intifada, the entire Palestinian population — from the West Bank to Gaza — rose in unified protest. That was a political movement.
Hamas, however, lacked such vision and mass legitimacy. Like Sri Lanka’s LTTE, it fought a purely military battle, isolated from political diplomacy — and met a similar fate.
Now the world prays that peace will return to Gaza. Yet post-war confusion is inevitable. We have seen this in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal, and in Sri Lanka after the exit of the Indian Peacekeeping Force. Gaza too may face internal conflict — between factions competing for control once external powers step back.
Even if Hamas claims to lay down its arms, new militant factions may rise under different names. Israel, too, could exploit this moment to act unrestrained within Gaza. A civil conflict within Gaza cannot be ruled out.
Still, one hopes it doesn’t come to that — that, for once, Gazans might live as normal citizens of the world, without fear or siege.
The painful truth is that Hamas received billions of dollars over the years — secretly from Arab nations and openly from Iran. Yet instead of investing in schools, hospitals, or infrastructure, much of it went into tunnels, weapons, and militias. That enormous wealth has now turned to dust.
Had even a part of those funds been channelled into development, Gaza might today have flourished like Dubai or Doha. Instead, countless lives, homes, and dreams have perished — a tragedy of historic scale.
Let us hope that this time, peace truly returns to Gaza — that its people, like those anywhere else, can rebuild their lives, their homes, and their future. And may the next generation grow not under the shadow of rockets, but under the light of peace.
Fact-checked notes:
The war between Israel and Hamas has had several escalations; the recent major one began in October 2023 and involved multiple ceasefires and renewed fighting until late 2025.
Hamas has previously released hostages and remains under heavy blockade; the numbers and exchanges are approximations based on the kind of truce scenario you described.
There is no official record (as of October 2025) of U.S. troops being stationed inside Gaza, but “military experts” or “advisers” could be interpreted as part of humanitarian or reconstruction assistance.
Trump’s political ambitions and self-promotion for the Nobel are long-standing themes often cited humorously by global media.
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