The guns have fallen silent in Gaza. The bombing has ceased. The Israeli troops are starting their withdrawal. Palestinian civilians are returning to what is left of their homes. Within a fortnight of its launching, the first tentative phase of the Trump peace plan is well underway – and ahead of schedule. A ceasefire, as the people of the region understand only too well, is not the same as the end of warfare – and certainly not, as yet, the lasting peace that has eluded them for so long.
But, for the moment, the practical effect is the same. The immediate threat of death or injury has been lifted, the remaining hostages will be coming home, and Palestinian prisoners will be released. We can now begin to hope that tensions will diminish, humanitarian aid will ease the famine, and the momentum behind this initiative will become a little stronger.
