Somehow, Hamas Is Still Standing

Over six months after United States President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the peace he promised has yet to materialize. The ceasefire supposedly required Hamas to give up its weapons and its control of territory—it was meant to mark the end of Hamas’s rule in Gaza. In this regard, it has failed.

• Apart from releasing Israel’s hostages, Hamas has essentially ignored almost every term of the ceasefire.
• Israel recently suggested restarting the war to finish off Hamas, Axios reported yesterday. But Trump and his Board of Peace objected.

President Trump thought the war with Iran, one of Hamas’s two main sponsors, would have also spelled the end of Hamas. With Iran preoccupied with U.S. and Israeli attacks and blockades, its ability to support Hamas is reduced.

• “The more Iran is weakened,” Trump said, “the more Hamas is weakened.”

This strategy hasn’t borne much fruit, either. Seeing Iran hold its ground and the U.S. somewhat backing off has apparently emboldened Hamas.

• An Arab diplomat told the Times of Israel, “Not only is Hamas emboldened by Iran’s ability to withstand the war, but it is seeing the importance of holding onto your cards for as long as you can.”
• The war may have even pushed Hamas closer to Iran. Qatar has sheltered Hamas leaders in the past, but those leaders gave it little support when it was bombed by Iran. Sources speaking with the Free Press suggest Qatar has dropped its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas and has evicted most of the terror group’s leaders. This may mean Hamas needs to rely on Iran even more.

The director general of the Board of Peace, Nikolay Mladenov, has plans to implement its new government for Gaza and start training its new Gazan police force without dealing with Hamas, Axios’s sources claimed. The Board of Peace hopes to make this public in June.

• Put another way, the Board of Peace is unable to force Hamas to comply and is afraid to confront it.
• One official from the board told Axios, “We made a lot of progress from a year ago, but this is not how we wanted the Gaza situation to develop. Nobody wants two Gazas.”

When President Trump announced the Gaza plan last year, many in America, Israel, the Arab world and elsewhere felt optimistic. Based on biblical prophecy, the Trumpet instead stated, “This deal will not bring ‘eternal peace.’” That prediction is proving correct.