A new Gaza peace plan by Donald Trump has international backing and a surprising partial acceptance from Hamas. However, its journey toward lasting peace is threatened by critical deal-breakers and the unresolved core question of Palestinian political sovereignty.
A 20-point Gaza peace plan, initially hailed by a coalition of eight Muslim-majority nations, represented a rare moment of consensus in Middle East diplomacy. But this optimism was short-lived. Following a pivotal meeting between US and Israeli leaders, the plan was radically altered, transforming a multilateral framework into a security-centric arrangement that alienated its initial backers and triggered a crisis of trust. This is the story of how a potential breakthrough unraveled into a diplomatic failure.
After more than 65,000 deaths and Gaza’s collapse into famine and ruin, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have formally recognized Palestine. Their move breaks decades of Western policy consensus, signaling a potential turning point in the conflict, but with strict conditions and fierce Israeli opposition, the future remains deeply uncertain.
On September 9, 2025, Israel struck Doha during Hamas–U.S. ceasefire talks, killing Hamas operatives and a Qatari officer. The attack, codenamed “Fire Summit,” exposed Israel’s regional ambitions, jeopardized Qatar’s role as a mediator, and raised suspicions of U.S. complicity.
The Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement marks a historic shift from informal cooperation to a binding security alliance. Anchored in collective defense and deterrence, the pact reshapes Gulf security, challenges reliance on Western guarantees, and positions Islamabad as a formal net security provider in the region.
Pakistan has the military capacity to challenge Israel’s siege on Gaza, but not the strategic insulation of Iran. Its real role is not war posturing but disrupting the default — building structures, alliances, and deterrence frameworks that restore coherence to a fragmented Muslim world.
Israel’s unprecedented strike in Doha has reignited calls for a collective Muslim defence pact. Can the Crescent Security Initiative succeed where past efforts failed?
The Gaza war highlights how Zionism functions as a structural contradiction within the Western-led order, exposing its exhaustion and accelerating a wider civilisational crisis. What is unfolding is not simply another regional conflict but evidence that the very system once projected as the “endpoint of history” is unable to enforce norms, restrain its clients, or reconcile its internal contradictions.
Israel’s airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha marks more than a breach of Qatari sovereignty, it is a direct challenge to US authority and the fragile rules-based international order. The attack exposes Washington’s inability to restrain its ally, while raising profound questions about Gulf security, Arab solidarity, and the future of international law.
On June 13th, Israel launched sudden airstrikes on Iran, sparking a dangerous cycle of retaliation that drew in the US and threatened global stability. For Pakistan, the crisis presents critical dilemmas, balancing Muslim solidarity, its rivalry with India, and pressure from global powers, while striving to maintain neutrality and safeguard national interests.