Why the situation in Gaza remains precarious despite deal to end the war

Key provisions of US President Donald Trump's plan still heavily contested

- Jonathan Eyal Global Affairs Correpondent

Israeli troops gathering at a position along the Israel- Gaza border fence on Oct 10. The Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement had been activated at noon. Israel's government ratified the ceasefire with Hamas in the early hours of Oct 10, clearing the way to partially pull back troops and fully suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours.

(PHOTO: AFP)

Hundreds of jubilant Israelis held aloft a large placard that said “We love Trump” in the early hours of Oct 10, celebrating their government's acceptance of a plan negotiated by the US President to end the Gaza war.

The immediate steps that now need to be taken by both Israel and Hamas, the radical Palestinian organisation in control of Gaza since 2007, are clear.

Israeli troops will pull back from their current positions to allow Hamas to assemble the estimated 20 Israeli hostages it still holds, plus the remains of a similar number of Israelis who have died in captivity.

All Israeli hostages will then be released by Oct 14 at the latest, and Israel will reciprocate by releasing 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli jails, as well as an additional 1,700 Palestinian prisoners detained without trial since the start of the current conflict.

And US President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East on Oct 12 to visit Israel and to add his signature to the deal he brokered at a ceremony which will take place in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

Yet beyond this, almost every other detail of the plan to stabilise Gaza remains murky.

It could, therefore, be a long time before Gaza's reconstruction begins, since the other key provisions of Mr Trump's plan, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international peacekeeping force, and a new administration for the Gaza Strip, remain heavily contested.