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The Gaza ceasefire is shaky but is holding despite some serious violations by Israel. Since the truce came into effect, Israel has killed tens of Palestinians in Gaza, carrying out multiple airstrikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume the war and peddled excuses to block the delivery of aid and keep the Rafah crossing point closed. But he is facing pressure from Israel’s closest ally: Donald Trump.

The US president and his team of interlocutors have made it clear to Netanyahu that he should not think of endangering the plan that Trump committed to in front of world leaders at Sharm El-Sheikh. The message to Netanyahu is clear: the war has ended.

And while the US is keeping Netanyahu at bay, Trump has also threatened Hamas with dire consequences if it does not keep its side of the bargain. So far, the militant movement has shown that it is committed to the 20-point plan, at least delivering on its obligations under the first phase.

But Trump and his team are weary of Netanyahu. The president sent his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, back to Israel ahead of Vice President J.D. Vance’s crucial visit to Tel Aviv. Vance’s main mission is to shore up the Gaza truce and prevent Netanyahu from collapsing the fragile ceasefire.

Netanyahu is hoping to complicate the enforcement of the many vague points related to the second phase

Osama Al-Sharif

In an interview this week, Kushner and Witkoff discussed the Trump plan, with the former making it clear that Hamas was acting “in good faith” in delivering on its obligations so far. Both have underlined Trump’s personal commitment to ending the war. They made it clear they would like to move to the second phase of the plan as soon as possible.

But while Netanyahu appears to be cornered at this point in time, he is hoping to complicate the enforcement of the many vague points related to the second phase, including the process of disarming Hamas and the formation of an international stabilizing force that will be deployed in Gaza. Also, a bone of contention will be the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Netanyahu is hoping that the issue of demilitarizing Gaza will create so many obstacles that it will test Trump’s patience and may allow the Israeli PM to loosen his commitment to Israel’s obligations under the plan. Another issue on which Netanyahu will prevaricate is the presence of an international force in Gaza. He has already objected to Turkish participation in both the proposed force and the recovery and salvaging operations. Turkiye is a signatory to the ceasefire plan. Netanyahu is also objecting to Ankara’s role in Gaza reconstruction efforts. Turkiye’s inclusion in the international stabilization force, according to Israeli media, is a “red line” for Netanyahu.

In fact, Netanyahu and his far-right partners are against any form of international peacekeeping in Gaza. They see it as a dangerous precedent — the fact that such a force is on Palestinian territory could one day be replicated in the West Bank.

It is likely that Netanyahu will continue to raise objections regarding the implementation of Trump’s plan, hoping to frustrate the US president and his team. He is already doing his best to delay the delivery of aid, putting conditions on what is allowed to go in and what is not. He will probably do the same with reconstruction.

While his hands are largely tied in Gaza, Netanyahu has unleashed a wave of terror and death in the West Bank. Trump has warned that he will not allow Israel to annex the territory. Still, Netanyahu, seeking to keep his coalition alive, is allowing armed settlers to go on the rampage. He is also considering enforcing Israeli law on the settlements; a symbolic but serious move that could only be interpreted as annexation.

While his hands are largely tied in Gaza, Netanyahu has unleashed a wave of terror and death in the West Bank

Osama Al-Sharif

A majority of the Israeli public supports Trump’s plan, particularly the part that guarantees the return of all captives alive and dead. Netanyahu is aware that he is being blamed for failing to embrace previous plans that would have allowed the return of the captives months ago. He is also cognizant that voices are now being raised in Israel to form an independent commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in which his role and those of other senior government and army officials will be investigated.

This is the primary reason why Netanyahu resisted pressure, even from his own army, to end the war. He knows that his political career could be over once the war ends and the long and painful process of digging into the past begins. In addition to the war ending, he would have no excuse to further postpone his ongoing corruption trial. This may be why he announced on Saturday that he will be seeking reelection in the November 2026 polls, when he will be aged 77. He added that he expected to win.

While looking for ways to derail the Gaza deal, Netanyahu has shifted attention back to Lebanon. Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon that was reached last November. It has refused to withdraw from five military outposts it created in south Lebanon and has prevented displaced Lebanese from returning to their destroyed villages close to the border.

Netanyahu is also putting pressure on the US envoy to Syria and Lebanon, Tom Barrack, to threaten the Lebanese government that if it does not disarm Hezbollah, Israel will renew its attacks. In a lengthy post on X this week, Barrack wrote: “If Beirut fails to act, Hezbollah’s military arm will inevitably face major confrontation with Israel at a moment of Israel’s strength and Iran-backed Hezbollah’s weakest point.”

The Israeli PM will see such threats as a green light to escalate the attacks on Lebanon, whose government finds itself in a difficult position, since Hezbollah has so far refused to hand over its weapons.

Netanyahu wants to keep Israel in perpetual war to stay in power for as long as possible. So far, Trump is committed to keeping the Gaza truce alive. However, Netanyahu knows that the road to full implementation of the plan is long and complex, and he hopes that Trump will soon lose interest.

• Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman. X: @plato010