This fragile truce appears structured to invite multiple crises as it edges forwards

'This is not a deal that Netanyahu wanted; he was forced into it by Trump, who insisted there'd be "hell to pay" if the fighting did not stop'

- Peter Beaumont

The hours-long delay in implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement is not a good omen for a deal that many fear could be doomed to failure as it moves through its challenging three phases.

While it is a truism that all negotiations to end conflicts rely on cautious trust-building and are highly vulnerable to spoilers, the deal to end 15 months of fighting in Gaza that followed Hamas's attack on 7 October 2023 is more fraught than most.

Analysts and observers have pointed out that the design of the agreement, constructed over three phases that require new negotiations to take place as the ceasefire goes forward, appears structured to invite multiple crises as it edges towards ever more difficult terrain.

Trust on both sides has been negligible at best.