The first stage of the ceasefire ends today: what’s next?

Netanyahu is under tremendous pressure to return to war. His finance minister, the far-right-winger Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to withdraw from the governing coalition if Israel does not restart the war after this weekend. Itamar Ben Gvir quit his post as national security minister over the ceasefire, while Hamas remains reluctant to release more hostages without a firm commitment to end hostilities, leaving the ceasefire’s future uncertain.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday evening that Washington is determined to move forward with the rest of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. "Stage one is ending, stage two has started," Trump said, noting that Israel needed to make decisions now.

Steve Witkoff, the president's Middle East envoy, said he believed Israel and Hamas would reach an understanding on the way forward as early as this weekend. He indicated that he may arrive in the region on Sunday to close the deal. Witkoff hinted earlier this week that the White House was examining proposals to resolve the main point of contention in formally ending the war—namely, Israel’s demands, supported by the Trump administration, that Hamas no longer remain in power in Gaza, disarm, and that its leaders go into exile.

Another sticking point is Israel's written commitment to begin withdrawing from the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, next Saturday and complete the evacuation within eight days. That obligation, which appears in the agreement signed with Hamas, is not conditional, but Israel has stated in recent days that it will not implement it without a clear agreement with Hamas. The chances of that are slim.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid has presented an alternative vision for a “day after” plan for Gaza, envisioning an extended Egyptian guardianship of the war-torn Strip.

“Israel cannot agree to Hamas remaining in power,” said the former prime minister in a speech in Washington DC on Tuesday. “The Palestinian Authority is neither willing nor able to manage Gaza in the near future. Israeli occupation is neither desirable nor possible. A constant state of chaos is both a security threat and a humanitarian disaster.”

The plan would see Egypt take responsibility for managing Gaza for eight years, with the option to extend it to 15 years. An Egyptian-led Arab force would be responsible for disarming and rebuilding Gaza, as well as helping establish a new government. Egypt, in turn, would be incentivised with massive international debt relief.

In exchange, Cairo would have its foreign debt paid off by the international community. Lapid argued that if Egypt’s economy does not recover, the regime’s “leadership is at risk. That is bad news for us all.”

“Egypt is a key strategic partner and a reliable ally for almost fifty years,” said Lapid. “A strong, moderate, pragmatic Sunni state and a crucial player in the region. President El-Sisi is a stabilising force in the Middle East and Africa. He is a long-time fighter against religious fanaticism.”

Lapid's plan would permit any Palestinian who wishes to leave Gaza to do so. It would also allow the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza after a process of reform and de-radicalisation, with measurable indicators—in contrast to Netanyahu’s government, which has completely ruled out PA governance of Gaza. It further calls for a US-Israeli-Egyptian security mechanism to combat immediate threats.

On Tuesday, President Trump posted a video on his Truth Social account, which appears to have been created with generative AI, promoting the transformation of Gaza into a Gulf state-like resort featuring a golden statue of himself, a hummus-eating Elon Musk, and shirtless American and Israeli leaders lounging on a beach. The video starts with scenes of people walking through rubble and bombed-out buildings before the words “What’s next?” appear on the screen.

“No more tunnels, no more fear,” a voice sings over a dance beat. “Trump Gaza is finally here!” The American president has proposed expelling 2.1 million Palestinians from Gaza and transforming the enclave into a “Riviera” that would be owned by the US.

The video was heavily criticised by Palestinians on social media, Al-Monitor reports. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the video “makes a mockery of all serious plans to change & transform Gaza.” Palestinian social media influencer Khaled Safi said in a post on X that the video "embodies the mentality of colonisers throughout history." London-based Egyptian journalist Osama Gaweesh said in a post on X that “Donald Trump has literally lost his mind," calling the images of money falling from the sky “despicable.”

READ MORE

Israel-Hamas cease-fire's first stage set to end with return of four deceased hostages (Haaretz)

‘Trump Gaza is finally here!’: US president promotes Gaza plan in AI video (CNN)

71 serving life sentences, Shalit deal releasees and convicted killers: These are the prisoners set to be freed (Ynetnews)

As the clock ticks down on the Gaza ceasefire, Israel prepares for more war (CNN)

Trump’s AI Gaza video elicits mockery from Middle East social media users (Al-Monitor, Paywall)

Lapid presents Gaza ‘day after’ plan in DC, urges extended Egyptian takeover (The Times of Israel)