President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan would appear to be stuck.  Whatever covert preparations may be in hand to implement its later stages, the clock seems to have stopped.

The first stages of the 20-point  “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”, signed by Israel and Hamas in Sharm elSheikh on October 9, 2025, required an immediate ceasefire, the return of all the hostages both alive and dead, the transfer of Palestinian prisoners in exchange, and a substantial increase in the flow of humanitarian aid.  Having released the live hostages, Hamas chose to eke out the return of the dead over a period of six weeks, and still holds on to the remains of Ran Gvili. 

So the first stage has not been completed and Gaza is effectively trapped.  A fragile ceasefire is in place, the IDF have withdrawn to the “yellow line,” there is increased humanitarian access – but all are subject to ongoing violations.

As for conditions in the Strip, most media reports suggest that, rather than advancing the peace process, the ceasefire has reduced Gaza’s significance on the world scene.  It has  changed little on the ground.  Large parts of Gaza remain in ruins, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are still displaced, and aid distribution is even more difficult because of new restrictions placed by Israel on some 37 humanitarian agencies that refuse to reveal whether their staff are connected to Hamas.

The 20point Trump plan was not originally issued as “three phases”.  It was first presented essentially as a single 20point framework, and the text adopted as Annex 1 to UN Resolution 2803 is also structured as 20 numbered points.  It was........

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