Ceasefire in Gaza: a real chance for peace?

Večer welcomes the ceasefire but stresses the need for further steps:

“The ceasefire agreement, fragile as it may be, gives Palestinian civilians hope that the massacres against them will end and Israelis hope that around 60 of their hostages who are still alive will return home. ... But there will be no peace until the occupation ends, international law prevails and the guilty are convicted. ... It would be wonderful if international peacekeeping forces and criminal investigators, as well as journalists, were to arrive in the region immediately, and above all if humanitarian and medical aid were provided for the population, followed by efforts to rebuild the destroyed country.”

This is not a good deal for Israel, Welt newspaper concludes:

“Israel has been forced to make difficult compromises in order to end the terrible ordeal of the Israeli hostages at the hands of Hamas. ... It testifies to the strength of Israeli society that it places such high value on the lives of its own citizens – but this is also its Achilles' heel. Because it makes Israeli politics vulnerable to blackmail. And Hamas exploited this weakness when it kidnapped the hostages in Gaza. The blackmail potential that this gave the terrorists has now saved them from complete annihilation in Gaza, because it is forcing Israel to agree to a ceasefire before Hamas has been completely defeated militarily.”

eldiario.es suspects what Israel's strategy for the future government of the Gaza Strip will be:

“Netanyahu will not allow the enclave to become a 'Hamastan' or a 'Fatahland'. ... He wants to involve the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in its governance. ... He wants both countries to station troops and assume the task of guaranteeing security in the Gaza Strip. With this arrangement he would bypass the Palestinian Authority and arabise the Palestinian question, handing it back to the Arab community, which is much more willing to make concessions at the negotiating table and use the national rights of the Palestinians as bargaining chips”

NRC predicts long after-effects:

“The world has shown itself from its worst side in the Gaza war. Even if its ends for the time being with this ceasefire, its consequences will be felt for decades or even longer. In Gaza itself, where unimaginable suffering has occurred. But also worldwide. ... Tensions in societies have increased, population groups have been pitted against each other, antisemitism and hatred against Muslims have surged in many Western countries. In Europe, including in the Netherlands, cracks have appeared in society that may never heal.”

Der Standard is relieved:

“Finally, at least some of the hostages abducted on 7 October 2023 will be allowed to return home. Finally, hundreds of thousands of people will be allowed to leave the overcrowded refugee camps in the south of the Gaza Strip. Finally, people in the north of Gaza will be able to move around without fear of being killed. ... Now the goal is to stay the course. Signing a deal – and even that has yet to happen – is one thing. Keeping it alive beyond the first two weeks is the real challenge. What is absolutely necessary now is to maintain the pressure that made this agreement possible over the next few months. The world should not rely on Donald Trump alone for this.”

El Mundo sees opportunities and challenges:

“From a humanitarian point of view the pact is a clear step forward. From a geopolitical perspective it is a step – albeit a fragile one – towards the necessary stabilisation of the Middle East. ... The ceasefire paves the way for Netanyahu and Trump to normalise relations between Israel and the Arab countries. ... Israel has restored its deterrent capability and decapitated Hamas and Hezbollah, while the status quo in the Middle East has changed to Iran's detriment. The wave of attacks against the 'axis of resistance' has profoundly weakened the Ayatollah regime. ... For his part, Netanyahu will have to resist pressure from the hardliners in his cabinet. ... The challenges are enormous.”

Implementing the ceasefire won't be easy, predicts Liberal:

“The current draft of the Gaza ceasefire agreement is based on the plan announced by Biden at the end of May. ... The implementation of the agreement, and in particular its second and third crucial phases, will be 'left' to the Trump administration, with the sustainability of the ceasefire deal depending on ongoing negotiations with Hamas and complex political factors within Israel. Hamas will not 'simply' give up the last hostages (the release will be gradual, which is worrying for the hostages' families), and Netanyahu is also operating in a difficult political environment domestically and facing the objections of his far-right partners.”

The West has a responsibility to fulfil once the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes effect, Politiken stresses:

“We have stood by Israel throughout the war and supported its right to defend itself. Now, of course, we should also help to foot the bill for the destruction. And then prevent the tragedy from repeating itself. For while the direct cause of the war was indisputably Hamas's reprehensible terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the underlying explanation is that a Palestinian state was not established long ago. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and as EU Council President later this year, Denmark bears a great responsibility for ensuring that this happens.”

Trump's capriciousness may have contributed to the ceasefire, The Daily Telegraph believes:

“It's an endorsement of the Mad Man theory of international relations. It suggests that Trump's dedication to national and personal interest can break deadlocks. ... Trump is pro-Israel, no doubt. But he's also pro-Trump, so he wanted a ceasefire agreed ahead of the inauguration. ... Biden was imprisoned by his historic affection for Israel. ... Trump, a freewheeling narcissist, gives the impression that he might walk away even from his allies. ... It's possible that a deal was struck in this instance because both sides know what the incoming president is like - how mean and random Trump can be.”

The US president-elect's pride is not entirely incomprehensible, writes Corriere della Sera:

“Trump is taking credit for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Five days before his inauguration, he is presenting the deal as a success of his foreign policy. ... Trump had threatened the Palestinian leadership with an ultimatum and a deadline: he demanded that the hostages be released by 20 January, otherwise 'all hell would break loose'. It is likely that this had an impact. It would not be the first time that Islamic extremists have been more compliant towards a Republican. After Khomeini's revolution, the Iranians held American diplomats hostage for 444 days, ruining the Democrat Carter, only to release them after Republican Reagan won the election.”