Hamas leaders have declared they are ready to cease aggression in Gaza, a highly unexpected decision that came after hosts of tension and conflict within a year and on the very day of Donald Trump’s re-election for the USA president position. This appeal has changed the nature of the group’s activity and has drawn attention of the international society to the extremely protracted conflict and the tremendous losses incurred in the region.

The last year has been especially bloody for Hamas and Israel. Violence in Gaza started in early 2024 after tensions on issues that include assault on the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Israeli dispute on East Jerusalem. These flashpoints were coupled with the disputed evictions of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah which sparked massive protests across both sectors, Gaza and West Bank. Again, the situation worsened during October when Hamas provoked an unprecedented attack on southern Israel. This aggression was characterized by rocket attacks and armed incursion into Israeli territory, resulting in large casualties.

The international community, too, has been expressing its increasing concern for the region. Several humanitarian non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations itself, have lamented the civilian casualties thus far, and a few national governments have called on both Hamas and Israel to tone down their aggression. Nonetheless, attempts to negotiate a sustainable peace have not been effective in isolating hostilities, mainly because both parties have dug in over the past year.

Officials in Israel argued that Operation Protective Edge was a large-scale campaign against a network of tunnels, rockets, key operatives, and commanders in the Hamas organization. The operation sought to neutralize the terror group, destroy its war-making machinery, and return safety to Israel’s citizens. But overall, the campaign has proved very costly indeed and especially for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. The human toll of the conflict has been in the tens of thousands that have perished, homes, and whole neighborhoods have been demolished, and hundreds of thousands of would-be citizens have had to flee the country. The destruction has further worsened an already bad humanitarian situation whereby access to food, water, medical supplies and electricity among others has been limited and this has stretched the Palestinian Crescent of Gaza to the extreme limit.

More recently, the re-election of Donald Trump in November 2024 has introduced a new level to the confrontation. In his first years as president, Trump supported Israel by taking steps towards recognizing Jerusalem as its capital, moving the U.S. embassy there, and proclaiming the sovereignty of Israel on Golan Heights. Moreover, his administration has acted to facilitate the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab countries, thus surrounding Hamas and its supporters. Now that Trump has returned to office, the situation in the geographical region will become worse as far as the cause of Hamas is concerned. Many observers believe that Trump’s re-election was instrumental in persuading the group to demand that the war be halted.

The call for peace by Hamas seems to be a tactical redirection as a result of both political and internal factors. The destruction of property in Gaza is on the rise, and people are worst affected by the fighting. The population of Gaza is getting more keen and fervent, believing that it’s the fault of Hamas for inciting the aggression that has increased the suffering of common citizens. Hamas’s leadership, recognizing a potential problem with its supporters’ dissatisfaction, may have seen its call for peace as an effort to blunt the tensions and regain support.

Austerely in terms of military, Hamas has received major blows. Hamas has lost its rockets and tunnels’ capabilities, and their marksmen, alongside commanders, have been an obvious target in this Israel war. Such losses have restricted the size of Hamas’s ability to support continuing combat and has compelled its leadership to alter its strategy as a result. Saying “enough is enough” may afford the group a chance to rethink and reassemble while sparing more loss.

Now, very much changed is the geopolitical environment, putting certain and definite limits on Hamas. Trump’s victory means that the United States’s approach is likely to remain in protection of Israel interests and assistance in the future. At the same time some Arab states, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco have started to recognize Israel and join the USA-led attempt to “stabilize” the Middle East. These changes have weakened and isolated it even more politically, minimizing its bargaining chips internationally. Pursuing peace to gain the recognition, at least at the regional level, would prevent complete exclusion.

The Hamas leaders may also be trying to redefine its role in Palestinian politics. The group’s competitor, the Palestinian Authority (PA), has pursued a political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and communicated with foreign facilitators. Hamas might need to end the war through negotiation, so the organization can build an image of the noble politician who is open to compromise, which would be helpful to bring recognition from the Palestinian public that is tired of the conflicts.

This decision by Hamas has also largely been influenced by international pressure. The conflict in Gaza has caused humanitarian havoc, and the UN, as well as Egypt and Qatar, demand an intervention immediately. These mediatory nations have probably applied pressure on Hamas to moderate its tone in a quest to protect non-combatant Gazans.

Nevertheless, the attainment of durable peace through the use of Hamas remains one of the most difficult tasks. Hamas and Israel’s deep-seated suspicion of each other, and the fact that they inhabit different worlds with clearly irreconcilable aims and objectives, pose a major challenge. Israel has always and unequivocally stated that Hamas is a security threat that needs to be dismantled, while Hamas only demands that the blockade on Gaza be removed, Palestinians be afforded their rights, and occupation by Israel stopped. The more general Arab-Israeli conflict, with such unliquidated questions like the borders, refugees and sovereignty, enjoys the priority treatment which hinders the way to mutual understanding and reconciliation.

The international community and Trump’s re-election will each have significant influence looking forward. Long-term diplomacy is required to resolve the course of the conflict and the issues which hinder the development of the society in Gaza. Attempts to establish an open dialogue on the matters between Hamas, Israel, and everybody else concerned could build the groundwork for a more permanent peace.

Thus, having broken the news, it is Hamas that makes people hang on to the hope that witnessed a glimmer after its call for an end of the war. Although conflict resolution poses a number of obstacles, the situation in the present time is quite favorable for all the sides searching for non-violent ways of coming to terms. It will therefore take some years to solve the problem, because it will ultimately require major concessions, recognition of the core causes of the problem, and international engagement working towards a sustainable solution.

Information retrieved from the BBC, Newsweek...