US decision to put off deal on ‘day after’ in Gaza allows Hamas to regroup — European diplomat

The US decision to prioritize the release of the hostages while holding off on reaching an agreement regarding the post-war management of Gaza has given time for Hamas to regroup, a senior European diplomat tells The Times of Israel.

The European diplomat clarifies that the Trump administration’s decision was understandable, given the urgency of freeing the hostages and the likelihood that it would have taken longer to reach an agreement regarding the new governing and security bodies that will replace Hamas in Gaza in addition to the disarmament of the terror group.

Accordingly, Washington decided to split US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war into two, and managed to secure an agreement between Israel and Hamas on an initial ceasefire, Israel’s initial withdrawal, post-war humanitarian aid provisions and the terms of a hostage-prisoner exchange — all of which have been branded as phase one.

With talks on phase two still in their initial phases, Hamas has quickly begun to reassert its control throughout the Strip, conducting summary executions of dozens of members of rival gangs in Gaza and of Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.

“Hamas remains the most dominant Palestinian force in Gaza, and there isn’t really even any competition because an alternative has still not been presented,” the European diplomat laments.