THE TRIBUNE

APLN member C Uday Bhaskar wrote for The Tribune on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, arguing that the Trump-brokered deal should be cautiously welcomed for a humanitarian reason.

With the UN Security Council in virtual paralysis, given the bitter discord between the US and the Russia-China dyad, the world is witnessing extended geopolitical dissonance. This has been exacerbated by the Trump-driven tariff turbulence. Yet Trump is to be accorded one cheer (not three) — for bringing a reluctant Netanyahu to the negotiating table.

India has supported the agreement, with PM Modi congratulating Netanyahu on the activation of the first phase. India has been invited by the US and Egypt to attend a follow-up ‘Gaza Truce Retreat’ aimed at discussing ceasefire monitoring and reconstruction.

New Delhi’s pedigree in complex peacekeeping operations (going back to the 1953 Korean War armistice and subsequent UN missions) and proven disaster relief competence can contribute to the international rebuilding efforts that Gaza desperately needs.

The ceasefire pact is tentative, fragile and prone to setbacks. This is the third major truce since the war began in October 2023 — first in November 2023 and later in January 2025 — and both collapsed. Will October 2025 be auspicious? The jury is out — the talks on demilitarisation and governance are imminent, even as Hamas has rejected ‘foreign guardianship’.

Bringing this complex ceasefire-cum-peace deal under the UN aegis would be highly desirable, but the feasibility of such a transition is very low. Trump wants peace, and “King Canute’s courtiers” will proclaim that it has indeed arrived and the Star of Bethlehem is glowing over the rubble of Gaza.

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