The Guardian view on Trump and the ceasefire deal: hope at last, but the real work is just beginning | Editorial

This is the best prospect of ending Israel's war in Gaza since it began. But a long-term solution remains distant

Donald Trump called the pause in hostilities he has brokered the first step to a strong, durable and everlasting peace". No one can do more to determine the outcome than the US president. This was, for him, a modest statement, acknowledging that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his plan - it being their decision, not his, to break a multi-point agreement into a multi-stage discussion. Two parties so far apart agreed on one thing: both would rather defer the really difficult issues.

In Israel and Gaza, there was joy - however tentative- at the announcement. An end to the annihilation, the release of all hostages and the resumption of large-scale aid have all been desperately needed. There is every reason to fear that this will not lead to a lasting peace, and every reason to strive to ensure that it does. In finally reining in Benjamin Netanyahu, and in offering Qatar a security guarantee that persuaded it (with Egypt and Turkey) to lean more heavily upon Hamas, Mr Trump has created an opportunity which must be seized.

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