Will Hamas agree to peace?

Earlier this week, President Trump released the details of the proposed ceasefire that he hopes will end the war in Gaza. Following a meeting with leaders from Muslim nations in the Middle East and beyond last week to discuss the plan, it was formally announced on Monday during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While not all parties involved were happy with some of the changes made during that visit, overall support for the plan remains unmoved.  

The only relevant party that has yet to agree is Hamas. However, Trump warned that if they did not assent to the deal by today or tomorrow, “Israel will have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”

As of this writing, the latest speculation is that they will respond “positively” to the report as a whole, though with a series of amendments intended to walk back some of the changes made after Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu. However, there is still a fair bit of uncertainty as to whether the US or Israel would be amenable to changes of any sort. 

If forced to choose between accepting the current plan or continuing to fight, it is unclear what the leaders of Hamas will decide. Moreover, reports indicate that at least part of the reason is that they don’t know themselves. 

Qatar, which has served as both a safe haven for Hamas’s leadership and one of the primary mediators throughout much of these negotiations, has encouraged them to accept. Many in the political leadership of Hamas appear open to heeding that advice. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for those in charge of their military forces, and their decision is the one that matters most.

Who is making the decisions for Hamas?

It’s believed that Hamas still has forty-eight hostages, all of whom would be released in the event of a ceasefire. However, only twenty of them are thought to still be alive, and all twenty are currently being held by the military wing of Hamas in Gaza. As such, the decision of the politicians in Qatar may mean little to those actually responsible for upholding their end of the bargain. 

To complicate matters further, the latest reports estimate that up to 90 percent of Hamas commanders have been killed in the war so far, meaning most of the leadership in Gaza is comprised of younger fighters who still think they can win. For them, the idea of giving up their weapons as part of the deal is largely considered a nonstarter. Armed conflict is the foundation of their identity, so disarmament is akin to death for many. 

Moreover, as Hugh Lovatt, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, notes, “Their view is that Israel is struggling strategically: the mobilization of reservists is a huge burden, elections are due within a year or so, there is growing international and domestic pressure . . . So, for them, it’s just a question of who will hold out the longest.”

But while much of that may be true, one of the key ways in which the current proposal differs from ceasefires in the past is the degree to which it has near-universal support from many of the same nations that have condemned Israel’s actions. If Hamas is the only one to say no to a deal everyone else agrees is worth pursuing, can they really count on that support to continue? 

Most agree the answer is no. And, in the event they decide to continue fighting, that opposition could start to come from those much closer to home.

“Hamas must say yes”

Discerning where to draw the line between the people of Gaza and the terrorists hiding beneath them has proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of understanding the war between Israel and Hamas. And when some of the citizens have risen to oppose Hamas in the past, they have often met a violent and painful end for their bravery. However, there are signs that the tide may have begun to shift. 

As one resident of Gaza City put it, “Hamas must say yes to this offer—we have been through hell already. . . . Hamas needs to understand: Enough is enough.” Another resident was even more blunt: “We are dying for nothing, and no one cares about us. Hamas needs to think more of us and what we have been through.” Abdelhalim Awad, who manages a bakery in the center of the city, said almost “any price” would be acceptable for peace, but that he did not think Hamas would say the same. 

These quotes epitomize why it was crucial to secure the support of Qatar and other Middle Eastern nations for the deal. Hamas has proven repeatedly that it will not give up its power to protect the people of Gaza. However, they may in order to protect themselves. And the fact that more people in Gaza feel confident enough to speak out against them reveals just how much the terrorist group’s situation has changed. 

Adapting to a new reality is rarely an easy task, though, and that’s often just as true for us as it appears to be for the leaders of Hamas. 

Do you run or hide from your sin?

While I doubt any of us have committed the same kinds of atrocities as Hamas, most of us have sin in our lives that we’re hoping God will just ignore. The Bible is clear that he won’t (Hebrews 9:27), but it can be easy to mistake his patience for his permission when that permission allows us to continue enjoying our sin. 

In such moments, Christ’s solution is simple: “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). 

One of the reasons Scripture places such a heavy emphasis on allowing the Lord to shape our worldview is that it makes it easier to accept that our choices have consequences. Acting as though they don’t or trying to live in the false reality that we shouldn’t have to be accountable for them will place us firmly outside of God’s will for our lives. That’s why the good news Christ preached always started with repentance (Matthew 3:2). 

You see, it’s only when we come to understand that God’s love is not contingent on our perfection that we can find the peace necessary to truly address our sin. Our heavenly Father is under no illusions about how messed up we are, but he chose to love us and to send his Son to die for us anyway. He didn’t do that because we were worthy of his love, but because he is love.

Embracing the fact that our sins and shortcomings don’t have to define who we are is the only path to accepting their consequences and allowing the Lord to redeem them in ways only he can. 

So, where are you running from the consequences of your sins today? The God who is truth cannot be found in a worldview built on lies, and it is only by owning our sins and accepting their consequences that we can find the freedom to live fully in his grace.

Let’s start today.

Quote of the day:

“Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.” —Philip Yancey

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