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The Trump Deal for Gaza Rests on a Hopeful Fiction
(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - When will the Gaza war end? The answer remains: As soon as Hamas releases the hostages, lays down its arms and gives up power. Those are the core demands of the deal President Trump put on the table and Israel agreed to on Monday. The Trump deal is better understood as a way to move the region past the Gaza war and shift pressure onto Hamas. But there's ample reason for skepticism. Hamas needs the hostages to manipulate Israelis. It needs weapons to stay relevant. Even under Qatari pressure, which U.S. officials believe was generated at last by Israel's Sept. 9 strike in Doha, Hamas is unlikely to surrender all of its leverage up front. The deal, then, rests on a hopeful fiction. Mr. Trump has offered Israel a potential end to its war, a plan embraced by regional Arab powers. Mr. Netanyahu said he now has his "day after" plan for Gaza, with Israel's war aims satisfied.