So, where does that leave Palestinians and Israelis? And what does it mean for the rest of the Middle East? Armed conflicts in the region have occasionally given way to diplomatic breakthroughs. The 1973 Yom Kippur War ultimately led to the 1979 peace accord between Israel and Egypt. The first Palestinian uprising precipitated the Oslo Accords in the 1990s. But more often, war in the Middle East is followed by periods of instability, chaos, and more violence—all of which convulsed Iraq years after the U.S. war wound down.
It’s hard to be optimistic about the future of Gaza. The cease-fire agreement brokered by the Trump administration is holding, but Israel continues to occupy more than half of the territory , and its forces have killed more than 350 Palestinians since the truce was reached on Oct. 10. Hamas, meanwhile, is resurging in Gaza—replacing key commanders killed in the two-year war with Israel; executing its Palestinian opponents; and hiding weapons and fighters in its tunnel system, more than half of wh
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