February 16, 2025
Gaza After Hamas
Last month’s ceasefire was a crucial step toward the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and a permanent end to the war in Gaza, which has thus far killed an estimated 46,000 Palestinians and more than 2,000 Israeli civilians and soldiers. Once all remaining living hostages have been freed and reunited with their families, the outstanding challenge will be determining who is going to govern post-war Gaza.
Top negotiators likely assessed that the deal had a better chance of bringing living hostages home if thornier issues like reconstruction, governance, and economic recovery were left for later stages of the ceasefire discussions. However, that leaves unanswered the question that policymakers have been wrestling with for the past fifteen months: who or what comes after Hamas?
To permanently remove Hamas from power, the United States must work alongside its Arab and Israeli partners to support the PA’s return to Gaza.
There remain several challenges to instituting new governance in Gaza. Among them is the enduring Hamas presence in the Strip, vehement distrust of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from both Israelis and Palestinians, though for vastly different reasons, and concerted efforts by members of the Israeli government to actively prevent the PA from governing effectively.
Rather than contributing to discussions on how to facilitate post-war governance, members of the Israeli Far Right, like former Minister of Defense Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are backing President Donald Trump’s suggestion to “clean out” Gaza and temporarily, or even permanently, relocate some 1.5 million Palestinians to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
Read the full article on The National Interest.
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