Israel’s Violations Undermine Ceasefire Hopes
Hamas’ agreement on Trump’s 20-point peace deal for Gaza led to the global hope for peace and stability in the Middle East. However, due to Israel’s history of ceasefire violations, people around the world were suspicious about the real Israeli and US ambitions regarding the ceasefire. Israel’s continuous violations of the ceasefire agreement since October 10, 2025, have further raised concerns among the pro-Palestine people around the world.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel committed 80 violations of the ceasefire, killing 97 Palestinians since Oct 10. The Israeli government not only attacked different areas in Gaza, including the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, but it also temporarily paused humanitarian aid to the Palestinian civilians. In addition, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “strong action against terrorist targets.”
These transpirations occurred after political leaders from different Arab and Muslim states gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to sign Trump’s proposed 20-point peace deal for Gaza. All the Arab and Muslim leadership, present at the summit, praised President Trump for his extraordinary role in establishing peace in Gaza and the Middle East. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also praised President Trump and once again nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to establish peace in the Middle East and South Asia, which sparked severe criticism at home and abroad. He even declared President Trump a “man of peace”. The US President Donald Trump also declared this agreement a “new dawn to the Middle East”.
Western Bias and the Silencing of Israeli Aggression
However, just hours after the Arab and Muslim leaders signed this agreement, the Zionist regime launched new attacks in Gaza and killed numerous Palestinian civilians. Even before the Muslim states signed the agreement, the Israeli fighter jets bombed deep inside Lebanon, killing at least one civilian and wounding 7 Lebanese citizens. Despite these violations, no Arab or Muslim state condemned Israel’s ceasefire violations. Most of the Arab and Muslim leaders who signed the ceasefire agreement are still presenting this deal as a great accomplishment of their nation and the US President Donald Trump.
Nonetheless, President Trump is also supporting Israel in its violations of the peace deal by falsely accusing Hamas of the violations. He stated that Hamas is “in violation of the agreement” and warned that the US will quickly take care of the situation if the resistance group does not comply with the ceasefire deal. He also threatened Hamas by stating, “We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice — and if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them, if we have to.” The US State Department also stated that the country informed the guarantor nations of the ceasefire with “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”
In response, Hamas denied all such accusations by stating, “These false allegations are fully consistent with misleading Israeli propaganda and provide cover for the (Israeli) occupation’s continued crimes and organized aggression against our people.” It further stated, “The facts on the ground reveal the exact opposite.” However, the Trump administration continues to accuse Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, while remaining oblivious to the Israeli attacks in Gaza. On Tuesday, President Trump stated on social media stated, “Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and ‘straighten our Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us.”
The Risk of Regional Military Involvement
President Trump’s recent threats raised fear of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. It seems that President Trump will utilize his influence on Jordan, Egypt, and some other Muslim governments to provide troops to eliminate Hamas and materialize the Zionist ambition of “Greater Israel.” The provision of troops by any Muslim state would spark domestic agitation against the government of that country. Kingdoms in Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia could suppress a public uprising against any such decision. However, in countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Turkey, the government will have to face severe repercussions in case of any military assistance to Israel and the United States against Hamas.
Arab and Muslim leaders signed Trump’s 20-point peace deal for Gaza to strengthen their ties with the United States. While the involved Muslim governments are presenting this agreement as an accomplishment, President Trump seeks to expand the Abraham Accords by including more Arab and Muslim nations in this agreement.
After assuming the US presidential office for the second non-consecutive time, Donald Trump stated that Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords before the end of his tenure. In a recent interview, President Trump stated, “I hope to see Saudi Arabia go in, and I hope to see others go in. I think when Saudi Arabia goes in, everybody goes in. I think that they’re going to all go in very soon.” This illustrates that the Trump administration seeks to legitimize the Israeli occupation of Palestine through this peace plan.
Geopolitical Shifts and the Decline of US Hegemony
Arab nations perceive that their ties with the United States and Israel would ensure their sovereignty and security. However, as maintained by the realist philosophers, survival, security, and sovereignty could only be ensured through self-sufficiency in the defense sector. The Arab leaders need to acknowledge that the US security guarantees are only against a possible attack from Iran. The United States has always extended unwavering support to the Zionist state. It perceives the latter as its strongest proxy in the Middle East. Therefore, Washington will never defend the Arab nations against any attack from Israel.
In addition, the Arab and Muslim nations need to acknowledge that the US hegemony is rapidly declining and the Eastern powers, China and Russia, have altered the US-led unipolar world order. Through BRICS and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the two countries have expanded their diplomatic and strategic influence throughout the globe. Many middle powers and third-world countries are already forging strong diplomatic and strategic ties with Russia and China.
The United States is known for its betrayal of its allies. India is one of the prime examples of the US betrayal of its allies in the contemporary era. However, it cunningly moved to China and Russia to maintain its diplomatic and strategic relevance. Pakistan has also been the victim of the US betrayal many a time. Therefore, Arab and Muslim nations also need to realize that establishing cordial relations with the two new superpowers of the world is mandatory for them to ensure their sovereignty and survival. Otherwise, they would face domestic and regional unrest sooner.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Muhammad Hamza Tanvir is a political analyst specialising in South Asian and Middle Eastern affairs. His work focuses on religious nationalism, regional security, and minority rights. He has been featured in Stratheia, Pakistan Today, Pakistan Observer, and the Asian Mirror. He is also working as a research analyst and political commentator for Paradigm Shift and contributes to the monthly magazine of Nearpeer