Gaza truce rests on Trump's ability to restrain Netanyahu

Optimism despite obstacles

While this part of the process passed without any major incident, difficulties soon arose over Hamas's failure to hand over the bodies of a further 28 Israelis, which was another important feature of the peace initiative.

Hamas officials insist the delay was caused by the fact that it did not know the location of all the dead captives, and that it faced challenges recovering the bodies of those that were believed to be buried under collapsed buildings.

This did not stop the Israelis from protesting at the delays, claiming Hamas had already breached the deal by not returning the bodies of all the dead captives as originally scheduled. Trump administration officials moved quickly to play down the significance of the delays, insisting that they were "positive" that Hamas still intended to honour the deal.

Trump's confidence that the peace agreement will move to the next stage once the hostage issue is finally settled was reflected in comments he made during a joint appearance with Egyptian president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi when he said that talks on the next steps of the plan had already "started, as far as we're concerned".

But body repatriation aside, significant obstacles remain to implementing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, not least Hamas's refusal to disarm and Israel's failure to agree to a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.

While there have been indications that Hamas might be willing to relinquish its control over Gaza, getting the group to disarm is another matter entirely. One of Hamas's first actions after the ceasefire agreement was reached was to take control of territory in Gaza vacated by Israel's military withdrawal. In a demonstration of its determination to maintain control of the Strip, Hamas fighters were filmed carrying out the summary executions of Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.

Under the proposals set out in Trump's peace plan, an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) is to be set up, which would enter the territory and take responsibility for maintaining security as the Israeli military gradually withdraws.

Talks are said to have taken place with several countries about contributing troops, including Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Azerbaijan. The US has pledged up to 200 soldiers in a support role, though they would not be deployed inside Gaza. During this transitional period, Hamas would be expected to hand power to an interim administration of Palestinian technocrats overseen by Donald Trump.

It could, though, be several months before the force is assembled and ready to deploy to Gaza—a delay that could prove a major challenge if Hamas continues to control the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has set himself the goal of achieving "total victory" over Hamas, has already warned that Hamas must be disarmed— either the easy way or "the hard way".

In a television address following the release of the Israeli hostages who were still alive, Netanyahu claimed the deal had only been possible because of the military pressure Israel had placed on Hamas, and that he fully expected the group to be disarmed and Gaza demilitarised.

"In this way, we are gripping Hamas from all sides in preparation for the next stages of the plan, in which Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarised," he said. "If this is achieved the easy way, then that will be good, and if not, then it will be achieved the hard way."

Netanyahu's intransigence

Netanyahu's uncompromising attitude presents a major challenge to Trump, who needs to convince the Israeli premier that he achieved "all that he could by force" and now is the time for diplomacy.

Whether Trump has the influence to persuade Netanyahu to tone down his bellicose rhetoric and not resume hostilities in Gaza, and to ensure that Hamas disarms, will be a crucial factor in deciding whether a new era of peace is truly going to take root in the Middle East.