Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal reached

The Debate

It's a done deal for some; close but not quite over the line for others. After so many false starts since the last ceasefire 14 months ago, a deal finally appears at hand for the guns to go silent in the Gaza Strip.

Could the difference be the imminent return of Donald Trump? His return comes in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the pummelling of Iran proxy Hezbollah at the hands of Israel. What leverage is left for Hamas? And who to pick up the pieces of a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and a territory that is largely destroyed?

A truce would also prove a moment of truth for Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu. Do his personal fortunes depend on prolonging the war, or is this a window of opportunity to pivot away from the far right and prolong the political shelf life of Israel's longest-serving leader?