Dr. Nihad Sheikh Khalil
At this moment, there is a real opportunity to exert pressure on the Israeli government that could lead to ending the
military assault and genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. This opportunity can be explained through the following points:

First:
President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Gulf states, his halt to strikes in Yemen, his openness to a nuclear agreement with Iran, and his preference to end the war between Russia and Ukraine—along with his approval for Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to unify Syria—show that Trump prefers calm, seeks financial gain, and wants to reduce military expenditures. He needs quick achievements that can be translated into tangible benefits for the American public, which he can then use in his campaign to support his party’s candidates in the upcoming U.S. congressional midterms. This means Trump’s timeline is limited, whereas Netanyahu seeks an open-ended timeframe—marking one of the core disagreements between the two.

Second:
As illustrated above, Trump has found in regional actors those capable of helping him achieve his goals. For instance, Oman has successfully mediated with the Houthis and is now mediating with Iran. Saudi Arabia is working to ensure Syria poses no threat to American interests, and Turkey is mediating between Russia and Ukraine. All these actors oppose an Israeli military assault on Iran and want the war on Gaza to stop. They view the establishment of a Palestinian state as the path to stability—not war or forced displacement.

Third:
Trump thus finds himself facing two camps: the first supports his political and economic ventures and has demands (referring to the Gulf and Turkey), while the second—Israel under Netanyahu—is becoming a burden to Trump’s projects. As a result, Trump has started to apply light pressure on Netanyahu to reach a deal that includes prisoner releases and a ceasefire. However, Netanyahu has yet to respond, raising an important question: how will Trump’s position evolve in the coming days?

Fourth:
European governments are increasingly vocal in criticizing Israel’s actions, seeing them not as contributing to security, but rather to chaos and instability. This has escalated to the point where Britain, France, and Canada have issued a joint statement hinting at potential sanctions if Israel expands its assault on Gaza.

Fifth:
Netanyahu continues to maneuver politically, aiming to prolong the war in Gaza, enforce starvation, and push for mass displacement outside the Strip. He and his coalition allies assert that forced displacement aligns with Trump’s broader plan.

Sixth:
Alongside these systematic policies, Netanyahu has claimed that he has reopened the entry of humanitarian aid. On the first day aid resumed (May 19, 2025), only five trucks were allowed in—after three months of complete closure—while Gaza, even under normal conditions, requires over 500 trucks daily. The real intention behind this token aid was revealed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said this minimal allowance was a tactic to ease external pressure demanding an end to the war.

Seventh:
Gaza remains resilient, but the suffering has surpassed human limits. For this resilience to fulfill its goal—remaining rooted in Gaza—it requires sustained and unwavering support from all supporters of Palestine. There must be persistent pressure on all influential actors in the Arab, Islamic, and Western worlds to pressure both the U.S. and Israel into stopping the massacres, genocide, and forced displacement. This is achievable now, based on a realistic assessment of all parties’ interests. Failure to fulfill this duty by Palestine’s supporters may prolong the ongoing Nakba of the Palestinian people indefinitely.