The “Gaza deal” will bring neither peace nor liberation.

After Israel and the Palestinian Hamas agreed to implement the first part of a “peace agreement” presented by the US, all surviving hostages have now been exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. However, the agreement was essentially made without Israel and Hamas. The “joint peace declaration for the Gaza Strip” (1) was signed by representatives of the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, who declare themselves to be the “guarantor powers” of the agreement in the document. Trump's “peace plan” envisions a completely colonially controlled Gaza Strip under the leadership of a US-led cabinet. At the same time, Zionist settlement construction in the West Bank is continuing aggressively and Lebanon and parts of Syria are being bombed further (and again). The current agreement confirms one thing above all: a free, independent, and self-determined Palestine can only be achieved by fighting against imperialism and its Zionist outpost.

The “peace agreement” and its character

Agreements and negotiations during wars and armed conflicts are always a measure of the condition of the warring parties and their forces. The fact that the Trump plan does not envisage either an open or complete occupation of the Gaza Strip, nor the long-term expulsion of the Palestinians, is a sign of the resilience of the Palestinian liberation movement and the strength of solidarity movements in all countries of the world. Despite two years of genocide, the Zionist Israeli state has been unable to force the Palestinian national liberation front to surrender or to turn the Palestinian population away from supporting it. At the same time, the past two years have also shown that none of the neighboring Arab countries have entered the defensive war on Palestine's side, which underscores the hegemony and influence of imperialism, especially the US, in these countries. Egypt has now even called for the stationing of US troops in the so-called “Middle East” (2). Although Israel became increasingly isolated internationally, it was even able to improve its position in some areas over the past two years: the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, an expansion of the occupation of the Golan Heights, significant influence on the government in Damascus, and the expansion of settler colonialism in the West Bank. At the same time, however, the Zionist dreams of destroying the Palestinian resistance and completely expelling all Palestinians have proven to be an illusion.

The imperialist agreement provides for a partial withdrawal of the Israeli army in its first phase. At the same time, this agreement also means that more than 50 percent of Gaza will remain under the control of the Zionist occupiers. In the further phases (which have not yet been signed), a “ interim government” is to be established, a so-called “apolitical Palestinian committee” composed of “qualified Palestinians and international experts” and “under the supervision and control of an international transitional body” chaired and led by US President Trump (3). Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is also to play a certain role in this – a harsh proposal when one recalls the history of the former colonial “British Mandate of Palestine”... According to Trump's “peace deal,” all economic and political matters concerning the Palestinians in Gaza are to be determined by outside forces and essentially decided by the “Western” imperialists – which would amount to complete colonial control. At the same time, however, it cannot be assumed that this plan can be implemented one-to-one and “just like that,” as the majority of Palestinians will not allow themselves to be administered by others, at least politically.

It is notable that none of the demands of the “Beijing Declaration” signed in the summer of 2024 are actually included in the so-called “peace agreement.” This declaration was signed by the various Palestinian factions, and the meeting took place in Beijing under the auspices of Chinese social imperialism. The new imperialist “peace agreement” is also important for US President Trump because it allows him to try to push back and limit Chinese influence in the region. Chinese influence has grown not only in Palestine, but also in Israel: “Despite its grand words, China continues to trade with Israel without hesitation and is its second-largest economic partner and largest importer after the US.” (4)

Forces of the Palestinian National Front against foreign control

The forces of the Palestinian National Front declared their opposition to foreign political control in Gaza last Friday, October 10. In a joint statement by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), they stated: “We reaffirm our rejection of any foreign guardianship and emphasize that the administration of the Gaza Strip and its institutions is an internal Palestinian matter that must be decided directly by the national component of our people.” (5) This stance against the plans of imperialism defends the right to self-determination of oppressed peoples and nations and thus also a vital interest of the Palestinian people.

Israeli aggression against the West Bank and Lebanon continues.

While the release of hostages is being meticulously documented and commented on in all mainstream media, the issue of the West Bank, as well as Israel's increased aggression in Lebanon, is hardly worth a headline. The imperialist media is cheering for “peace,” while Israel is already preparing its next aggression against Lebanon and continuing its plan to further annex Palestinian territory in the West Bank. These facts, which have not been brought to the fore, must also be part of the characterization of the current “peace plan,” which, depending on its concrete implementation, may also represent an opportunity for temporary recovery and reorganization of anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist forces.

Gaza has been turned into a huge refugee camp.

Gaza, often referred to as an “open-air prison” before the genocide began two years ago, has now been bombed into a mass refugee camp, and its population has been made dependent on international aid imports. 98.5 percent of Gaza's agricultural land has been destroyed, as well as around 70 percent of all buildings. In a report, a Palestinian farmer writes: “Once Israel had completed the destruction of Palestinian agricultural land, it began to allow commercial trucks, but not aid convoys, into Gaza. The markets were flooded with products whose packaging was covered with Hebrew inscriptions.” (6) At the same time, a large part of the tunnel system (which is both an economic factor for the Palestinians in Gaza and a factor in their freedom of movement outside the control of the occupiers) has been destroyed in previous bombings. According to media reports, the rest is now to be destroyed by the Israeli occupiers (7), which also serves the goal of subjecting Gaza to complete colonial control. It is entirely legitimate and necessary for the Palestinians to continue to insist on both the withdrawal of all occupying forces and political self-determination in order to move closer to the goal of a free Palestine. The sovereign exercise of political power by the revolutionary and national forces of Palestine is ultimately also the prerequisite for smashing imperialist influence and control in the economy—in other words, for economic independence and self-determination.

The national liberation struggle could not be crushed.

Although the forces of the national resistance front are fighting under very difficult conditions, the liberation struggle could not be crushed – an important sign for the peoples of the world! It can be assumed that a certain period of reorganization of Palestinian forces will be necessary during the ceasefire. However, as long as the interests of Palestine are defended against imperialism and Zionism, the struggle will continue – as the last decades have proven!

(1) orf.at: „Abkommen für Gaza-Waffenruhe“

(2) aljazeera.com: „Egypt: ‚We need American engagement, even deployment on the ground‘

(3) welt.de; „Das sind die 20 Punkte von Trumps Friedensplan“

(4) Le Monde Diplomatique, Ausgabe September 2025, „Was sagt China zu Gaza?“

(5) aljazeera.com: „Palestine factions refuse foreign guardianship on Gaza as truce takes hold“

(6) aljazeera.com: „Gaza will be in the shadow of famine as long as we cannot plant our land.“

(7) of.at: „Israel plant Zerstörung aller Hamas-Tunnel im Gazastreifen“

Bildquelle: Präsident Donald Trump und der israelische Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu halten eine gemeinsame Pressekonferenz conference - wikimedia