the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Oct 13, 2025
This article is translated from the October 10 issue #2984 of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle), the paper of the Trotskyist group of that name active in France. It was written just before the cease-fire was announced.
Negotiations between Israeli and Hamas leaders to implement Trump’s “peace plan” for Gaza began under U.S. auspices in the opulent Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh on October 6.
Without committing to disarmament, but under joint pressure from the U.S. and the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Qatar, Hamas agreed to discuss Trump’s plan. Equally under pressure from Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he would stop bombing Gaza but wouldn’t end the blockade.
The first phase of these negotiations is about the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and the return of the remains of those who did not survive. This operation is expected to be followed by the release of 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel, as well as some 1,700 Gazans arrested by the Israeli army since October 7, 2023.
When will the Israeli hostages be released? Which 250 Palestinian prisoners will be freed out of more than 10,000 women and men languishing in Israeli jails? Will they be Hamas leaders or figures like Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah Party official who could play a political role?
On the Israeli side, families await the return of their loved ones. Many Israelis hope for the end of a war that has deformed young people into uniformed assassins. On the Palestinian side, nearly two million Gazans survive in ruins, deprived of everything. On both sides, the prospect of a peace plan clearly inspires hope. But negotiations could break off at any moment. And the Israeli army maintains its occupation of Gaza. Shooting and bombing continue. “Trump’s peace” offers Palestinians no more than a bleak and uncertain future.
Trump has ruled out any annexation by Israel of the West Bank and any resumption of Israeli settlements in Gaza. He renounced deporting Gazans to build his “Middle Eastern Riviera.” His plan calls for Gaza to be administered by an “apolitical Palestinian committee,” which remains to be specified or set up. It would be overseen by a Peace Council chaired by none other than Trump himself.
Behind these vague formulas, the establishment of an American protectorate is emerging. It could be administered by the Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which Trump seems to want to bring back into the game, twisting Netanyahu’s arm. But while waiting for the hypothetical establishment of an International Stabilization Force—which remains entirely to be imagined and formed—the Israeli army will continue to occupy Gaza. “Our army will remain in most of Gaza,” Netanyahu repeats endlessly.
This solution—a territory co-administered by the wealthy Gulf monarchies and the Israeli army under U.S. supervision—undoubtedly suits the leaders of the various Middle Eastern governments joining in the negotiations. But even if the war and the massacre stop and partial reconstruction begins, the future the people of Gaza are promised is to survive for years amidst dangerous ruins. Hospitals and schools are demolished. Drinking water pipes and the electrical grid are destroyed. Farmland has become no man’s land. All is under the control of an occupying army. This is enough to engender a new generation of rebels ready to do anything to fight for basic rights. This is the clear result of the two years of war ordered by Netanyahu.