Trump's Israel-Palestine peace plan remains extremely fragile

Despite the recent ceasefire, ongoing violence, disputed disarmament and disagreements over governance and aid in Gaza continue to threaten stability and raise concerns about long-term peace.

- By Mel Frykberg

Medical teams pray beside the covered remains and bodies of unidentified Palestinians, returned by Israel, before their mass burial outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on 22 October.

(Photo: Haitham Imad/EPA)

The Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, involving Trump's 20-point plan, remains extremely fragile. Since the ceasefire was brokered about two weeks ago, Israeli security forces have killed about 100 Palestinians in Gaza.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the first few days after the ceasefire when they tried to return to their homes situated near the 52% of the coastal territory still occupied by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with the latter saying they felt threatened, The New Arab and NBC reported.

Prior to this semi-withdrawal, Israeli soldiers set dozens of Palestinian homes and buildings on fire, according to Drop Site News and the Middle East Eye.

The situation escalated last weekend as Israeli air strikes over Gaza killed many more Palestinians.

This followed continuing clashes between Hamas gunmen and Palestinian gangs in Rafah in the south of the occupied territory. There were reports of Israeli soldiers trying to protect the gangs, many with criminal backgrounds, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted to arming and supporting, The Guardian reported.

Two Israeli soldiers were also killed in Rafah. Israel accused Hamas of firing antitank missiles towards Israeli soldiers, but the cause of the death of the two soldiers has been disputed.

Israel claimed initially that they had been killed by Hamas gunmen emerging from tunnels. However, it was later reported by investigative journalist Ryan Grim from Drop Site News that his official US sources had acknowledged that the soldiers had been killed when an Israeli military vehicle drove over unexploded ordnance.