Left: Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas react to the ceasefire announcement in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Jan. 15. Right: Palestinians celebrate the ceasefire deal in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 15.

Israel wants to annex the occupied West Bank and further weaken Iran, but Trump's other priorities may hold those back

Chances of the ceasefire deal unravelling after the hostage-for-prisoner exchange is completed are high. What happens after that is uncertain. Who controls Gaza? Is there a chance for permanent peace?

Israel’s national security minister Ben Gvir claimed he has repeatedly foiled a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas over the past year as he threatened to quit the Benjamin Netanyahu cabinet over a fresh deal being brokered by the US.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is tapping the brakes on claims of success by President Biden, President-elect Trump and partners in the Middle East that a ceasefire and hostage release

That statement comes on top of other pressures that Trump has brought to bear to try to ensure that a deal for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip takes place before he enters the White House on January 20.

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip whilst Israel insists details are still being finalised

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, expected to begin its first phase Sunday, has brought relief to the international community but questions about whether the truce will hold — an issue that

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If ceasefire takes hold, people will start moving back, though they are under no illusions as to what they might find.

This cease-fire is still fragile, and working toward a Palestinian solution and a wider Mideast accord will require intense work by the Trump administration.