After the return of the 20 Israeli hostages who were still alive, and the bodies of 27 deceased hostages whom Hamas had killed in captivity, in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 hundred serving life sentences for murdering Israelis, and the ceasefire arranged two months ago between Hamas and Israel continued, albeit shakily, in force, it was time to move to Phase Two of Trump’s plan to bring a permanent end to the Gaza War. But Hamas has made clear that the most important part of Phase Two — the disarmament of the terror group — will not happen.
More on this immovable obstacle can be found here: “‘Dead on Arrival’: Inside the Breakdown of Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire and Hamas’s Resurgent Control,” by Debbie Weiss, Algemeiner, December 3, 2025:
The second phase of the Trump administration’s Gaza plan has collapsed into “stalemate,” according to Gaza-born analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, derailing plans to disarm Hamas and enabling the terrorist group to reassert control over aid convoys and Gaza’s three main hospitals, which he said have turned into interrogation centers for political opponents.
“Phase Two is not going to proceed,” Alkhatib, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said in a call with journalists on Tuesday.
Under the plan, the first stage included Hamas releasing all the remaining hostages, both living and deceased, who were kidnapped by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists during their Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel. In exchange, Israeli released thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees and partially withdrew its military forces in Gaza.
Currently, the Israeli military controls 53 percent of Gaza’s territory, and Hamas has moved to reestablish control over the other 47 percent. However, the vast majority of the Gazan population is located in the Hamas-controlled half, where the Islamist group has been imposing a brutal crackdown.
The second stage of the US plan was supposed to install an interim administrative authority — a so-called “technocratic government” — deploy an International Stabilization Force — a multinational force meant to take over security in Gaza — and begin the demilitarization of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that has ruled the enclave for nearly two decades.
As of now, no “technocrats” have been selected to run Gaza after Hamas is forced to give up its arms and, consequently, its political power.
“The International Stabilization Force is dead on arrival,” Alkhatib said. “The gap between what the force is meant to do versus the expectation of the volunteers is too wide.”
Alkhatib’s comments stood in stark contrast to those of US President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday told reporters at the White House that phase two of his Gaza peace plan was “going to happen pretty soon.”
“It’s going very well. We have peace in the Middle East. People don’t realize it,” Trump said.
“We have peace in the Middle East.” Not in Gaza. Not in Judea and Samaria. Not in Latakia or Sweida in Syria. Not in Yemen. Not in Iraq. Not in Lebanon.
“Phase two is moving along. It’s going to happen pretty soon.”…
No, Phase Two is not “moving along.” Nor will Phase Two “happen pretty soon.” Trump is whistling in the dark. He refuses to recognize that Hamas has said no, a thousand times no, and instead of disarming, is readying itself both with new recruits, and new weapons supplied by Qatar, to fight against any attempt by anyone to disarm it.
Everyone expects that the two fabulously rich Arab oil states, Saudi Araba and the UAE, will be paying for almost all of the reconstruction in Gaza, and these two states, whose monarchs detest and fear the Muslim Brotherhood, do not want the MB’s two main supporters, Qatar and Turkey, to play any role in a postwar Gaza.
The Gaza-born analyst Alkhatib wonders why Qatar should not be asked to contribute billions more to rebuilding Gaza, if it going to have such influence, via its support for Hamas, over the Strip.
Egypt and Jordan are both too strapped for cash and other resources to train security personnel to replace Hamas in Gaza. Other states, including Pakistan and Indonesia, are not willing to send troops into the Gaza morass, where their troops before raising up recruits and training a new security force, would have to engage in firefights with Hamas combatants who will resist having their weapons seized.
Hamas has now become akin to mafia extortionists, protecting the trucks that bring into Gaza commercial goods from other armed groups that might seize them. In exchange for such protection, Hamas demands a cut of the goods’ value.
Hamas also has reasserted its power to tax the aid shipments that have resumed, now that the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has closed. The terror group exacts a tax on each shipment, paid for by the Western humanitarian groups that are now, because of this tax, helping finance Hamas.
The Gaza militias, meanwhile, many of them based on large families, or clans, are determined to resist Hamas, and not only Hamas, but also any presence of military forces from the three countries — Qatar, Turkey, and Iran — that support Hamas. These militias now have thousands of members, and extend from Rafah in the south to Gaza City in the north. They are well-armed, with some of their weapons believed to have come from Israel, which seized them from Hamas arsenals.
If Trump is determined to force Hamas to disarm, he could send American arms and money to the clan-based militias, to help them in their battles throughout Gaza with Hamas. Or he could declare that “because Hamas refuses to disarm, I have told the Israelis that they should no longer feel bound by the ceasefire that was attained in Phase One, and should go after Hamas on both sides of the Yellow Line.” Or he might even have added that “along with the clan-based militias that have been fighting Hamas so bravely, and the IDF forces that are now relieved of having to observe a ceasefire, I will be sending in American airplanes and drones to help reduce Hamas’ forces on the ground to smithereens. I promised I would bring peace to Gaza, and the possibility of prosperity to the Strip, and that’s exactly what I will do.”
Westman says
A Gedankenexperiment: Suppose there are two societies, Society A which has adopted a set of war rules far kinder than actions by C, D, E,…in the last World War, and Society B which has no rules of war behavior toward other Societies, whether they be persons or organizations, other than a lifetime directive to subdue other Societies, like A, and if unable to rule them, to kill them.
Is lasting peace for Society A possible without eliminating Society B, or alternately, eliminating Society B’s lifetime directive? Is the latter possible if believed by Society B to be a religious directive from a god?
Is “passifying” Society B possible? How?
Does Society B leave Society A with any choice but periodic war? Do Societies C, D, E,…. have any honest grounds for criticizing or threatening Society A for waring, on any level, to survive Society B?
Can any other Society, say C, enforce a peace between A and B without periodically being involved in lethal fighting with B?
Will Society B ever give up all of its weapons?
somehistory says
this is no surprise. The murderous thugs have been planning and working all along to murder the rest of the Jews and take over Israel. It will continue until all of them are dead, and taking that well-deserved long dirt nap reserved for goons and ghouls.
Billy says
Islam and its Muslims fund, teach, and support deceit and terrorism against all Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 3:54; 7:99; 8:30; 9:5, 29, 111, etc.). Islam, its Mosques, its Schools, its Organizations, etc. must be banned as illegal for their discrimination, violence, and terrorism because Islam and its Muslims are a Terrorist-Criminal-Gang Enterprise.
DEGENERATE ISLAM IS ANTICHRIST, AHISTORICAL, DECEITFUL, MILITARISTIC, AND POLITICAL against the USA Constitution and Western Laws to conquer and to subjugate Non-Muslims using MUSLIM-TERRORIST-CRIMINAL-GANG ENTERPRISES with ISLAMIC LAW(SHARIA) and with CONTINUOUS, TERROR PROPAGANDA from Islam’s Qur’an to make Islam supreme(Qur’an 3:28, 54; 7:99; 8:30, 60; 16:106, etc.).
Deceitful Allah affirms Non-Muslims as enemies of Allah while Muslims undermine a society from within using the man-made book of lies and deceit, the Qur’an(Qur’an 3:54; 7:99; 8:30, etc.). Allah in Qur’an 4:101 says, “…Surely the infidels[Non-Muslims] were your clear enemies.” Corrupt Allah in Qur’an 8:39 says, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…” As a result, Non-Muslims are marked for death by Islam and its Muslims.
Islam is a delusional, indoctrinating, corrupt fraud because there is NO MECCA, NO MUHAMMAD, and NO Qur’an in the 7th century AD in Saudi Arabia despite the Muslim Standard Islamic Narrative claims; the Deceitful House of Islam is founded on propaganda, lies, intimidation, and deceit where Islam’s 1400-year traditions are based on fallacy and myth including a more than 300-year gap with no documented history. Hence, NEVER give money to Islamic Countries, Islamic Organizations, Mosques, Islamic Schools, etc. because your are funding your ultimate destruction. Islam must be banned as illegal, and we have the legal right to defend ourselves from Muslim violence.
Muslims are to be seditionist terrorists for Allah with their MONEY and their LIVES. Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed jihad with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” Again, Islam is a FACTITIOUS IDEOLOGY and CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION despicably fabricated over time into the 21sth century, and there is NO PEACE only genocidal obliteration with Islam and its deceitful Muslims(Qur’an 7:18; 8:39: 9:5, 29, 111; 11:119; 32:13, etc.).
ALLAH claims MUSLIMS are a greater TERROR than serpentine Allah. Allah in Qur’an 59:13 says, “You[Muslims] are a greater terror in their chests than Allah. This is because they[Jews & Christians] are people who do not understand.” Allah in Qur’an 9:29 commands, “Engage in war with those who do not believe in Allah nor in the last day. Nor forbid what Allah and his messenger forbid, nor believe in the religion of the truth among those who have given the book until they pay the jizyah out of hand and they are subdued.”
Islam, its Mosques, its Schools, its Organizations, etc. are Terrorist-Criminal Enterprises of hatred and enmity against all Non-Muslims as totalitarian Islam, the House of Satan, islamizes the society with impunity(Qur’an 5:14; 9:5, 29, 111, etc.). As taught from Islam’s Qur’an, Islam should be banned for its incitement, funding, and promotion of violence, terrorism, hatred, human trafficking, and discrimination against women, children, and Non-Muslims.
Allah stirs hatred against Christians until the resurrection day as Qur’an 5:14 instructs, “And some of those who say, ‘Surely we are Nasara (Christians),’ we took their covenant. So they have forgotten a part of what they were reminded of, so we have stirred up ENMITY and HATRED among them until the resurrection day. And Allah will inform them of what they were doing.” See also Qur’an 60:4.
Patrick says
Is President Trump smoking dope, is he living in a pipe dream? His Peace Plan is a total failure and Trump thinks it’s successful. In what world, does Trump operate?
KufarDawg says
I wonder if the islamic petrocracies (and their vast petrodollars) played some hand in Trump’s “deal”. I don’t mean in the sense of paying Trump off he’s rich enough that bribery is an irrelevant tactic WRT himself. Isn’t Trump’s son-in-law involved in some sort of big $$$ business deal w/one or more of the islamic petrocracies?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I think that the US should quietly signal Israel that it’s okay to wipe out Hamas, while pushing this conflict way down the list. After all, he does have to do something about “affordability” before the Dems start completely owning that issue
James Lincoln says
࿗Infidel࿘ says,
“I think that the US should quietly signal Israel that it’s okay to wipe out Hamas”
Yes, absolutely.
Major Tom says
Those murderers should never have been released……
Winston 101 says
“Palestine” is Islam’s Jihadi “Campaign to End Israel” Project
It was designed by the various Islamic nations to shield them from embarrassing wars with Israel.
Wars Islam requires them to fight. No land ever held by Muslims is ever to be held by anyone else.
But in those wars Islam was seen as Goliath and Israel as David. Islam kept losing the military Jihadi Wars and the Propaganda Wars.
Such humiliation on the world stage.
By inventing the “Palestinians” Islam was able to flip the script.
Now “Palestinians” were David and Israel was Goliath. “Palestinians” could take on the Jihadi Campaign to End Israel.
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas fought for ownership of the Jihadi Campaign to End Israel. Hamas won.
And now, with Israel cast as Goliath, Hamas has been winning the Propaganda War. The more Israel wins the military war the more Goliath the World portrays Israel to be.
Then comes Trump’s Plan.
Trump’s plan was useful to get the hostages, dead and especially living, home.
No small feat. But now the plan has to stall. Hamas cannot, and will not,
by the Will of Allah, stop fighting.
Trump can now point to his plan and say:
“Gee, I really tried. I got further than anyone else ever in history. Don’t you agree? I got the hostages home. But, sadly, Hamas will not keep their end of the bargain. They want to continue attacking Israel. Such a waste of a great opportunity. Probably the greatest opportunity they were ever offered. But, they declined. So, all that is left is
Israel’s right to defend herself. Israel’s duty to protect her people and wipe out an enemy that will not negotiate in good faith, and won’t stop attacking her. So sad.”
It leaves the result up to the military war between Israel and Hamas.
After Israel’s victory, there will still be “Palestinians”. The Islamic states, no doubt, will want to save as much land, and face, for their Jihadi Project to End Israel as possible. They will push for some “state” for “The Palestinians”. Later for all of that.
For now, Phase 2 has given way to the reality of Israel having to do what Hamas,
by force, requires Israel to do. To utterly defeat, and destroy, Hamas in “Palestine.”
KufarDawg says
There have been more than a few moslame terrorist orgs devoted to the destruction of Israel since 1948 and moslame terrorist orgs are known to change names and form splinter groups like normal people change socks.