Expert discusses what Israel-Hamas deal means for the region

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - President Donald Trump is set to travel to the Middle East on Sunday as he hopes to complete the peace deal between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages and potentially ending the two-year-old war in Gaza.

Israeli hostages are expected to be released in the coming days. Palestinian families are also looking forward to welcoming people detained in Israel and receiving international aid.

Will Todman, a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the next part of the deal is already on a bumpy path.

“Hamas believes that Israel must completely withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, whereas the Israeli army has said they intend to maintain control of at least a buffer area,” he said.

Todman said the distrust between the Israelis and Palestinians goes both ways.

“The agreement says that Hamas must give up its weapons, but there are several Hamas, fighters and figures who have said they must at least be able to maintain, get pistols and smaller weapons. They fear assassination. They don’t trust that Israel will truly halt all of its military operations,” he said.

Gaza’s immediate future is also unclear. Clearing the rubble and rebuilding war-torn communities is dangerous and will take time. Distributing aid to families ravaged by famine is a daunting task.

There’s also the question of who will be in charge. According to Trump’s plan, there will be a local Palestinian government with U.S. oversight. Trump will chair an oversight board but it’s yet to be determined how much influence it will have.

“We ended the war in Gaza and really on a much bigger basis, created peace and I think it’s going to be a lasting peace, hopefully an everlasting peace,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting Thursday.

Todman said he thinks the U.S. needs to be involved.

“The process of deradicalization, of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians is going to be a process that is decades in the making,” he said.

Although he missed the deadline for this year, Trump has previously expressed his desire to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating this deal. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Friday the 2025 recipient is Venezuelan politician and activist Maria Corina Machado.