by Andrew Fox, spiked
There will be no peace in Gaza as long as Hamas survives.
With the remaining Israeli hostages now released, global attention has shifted to the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, where world leaders are gathering for a Gaza peace conference. US president Donald Trump will be there with Arab and European leaders. Hamas, the terror group currently in control of the Gaza Strip, will not.
What Hamas does next could determine the future of Gaza. Trump’s peace plan requires it to disarm and stipulates that it is to have no role in the governance of the strip. But Hamas is determined to hold on to power by any means. Now, with Israeli troops partly withdrawing as a result of the ceasefire, it is seizing the chance to strengthen its control.
Since Friday, when the ceasefire began, Hamas has worked quickly to achieve two things: re-establish its brutal control over Gaza and shape the global narrative in its favour.
It would be foolish to think that Hamas will simply lie down. Over the weekend, in a bold demonstration of strength and intent, dozens of its fighters stood guard outside a hospital in Khan Younis during the hostage handover. Visible were members bearing the insignia of Hamas’s elite ‘Shadow Unit’ – proof that, while heavily depleted, it has not yet been defeated.