Author: David E. Sanger and Adam Rasgon
Published on: 12/10/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
President Trump put few guardrails on Israel’s offensive, bucking international demands for a cease-fire. But overarching the moment was the question of whether this deal could have been done far sooner, when more hostages may have been alive. That argument lay behind the boos that ran through the crowd when Mr. Witkoff mentioned Mr. Netanyahu. Israel and Hamas missed a chance to build on the cease-fire that Mr. Witkoff was involved in the January deal, it did not stick, and early in Mr. Trump’s term the war resumed. Debates over how wars could have ended sooner, and saved thousands or millions of lives, are hardly new. Hamas spent last summer arguing over how far Israeli forces would have to pull back along the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip along the border between Gaza and Egypt. Mr. Biden was reacting to the fact that Israel had already cut off virtually all food and fuel to Gaza. The United States kept the pressure off the Israelis, even vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution to keep humanitarian corridors open. Israel’s military pressure grew as Hamas’ supply of ammunition was depleted. And “the 12-day war with Iran really moved the needle,” says Brett McGurk. Multiple factors, Palestinian analysts say, pushed HamaS to begin rethinking the value of continuing to hold the hostages. Netanyahu has hosted him at the White House four times, more than any other world leader. Mr. Netanyahu has called for the cancellation of his corruption trial, he has opposed calls for the recognition of a Palestinian state. On Gaza, the president wasted weeks consumed with a bizarre plan to annex Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu was now in a new world, where he had to heed some American mandates. Then Mr. Trump pressed the Israeli leader to sign on to his 20-point plan. He was aware that provoking his capricious counterpart could lead to negative consequences for himself and for Israel.
Original: 1942 words
Summary: 318 words
Percent reduction: 83.63%