Donald Trump went to the election in the USA last year on the promise that he would not start any wars, but rather end them. And in Gaza, things looked bright when a ceasefire was initiated simultaneously with Trump's inauguration in January.
He was praised widely, with good reason in my opinion, when he brought about the ceasefire, says Anders Persson, political scientist at Linnaeus University.
The ceasefire was fragile, but held for about eight weeks, until Israel's resumed military offensive on Tuesday night.
This is a major setback for Trump's administration and for his efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution.
Goals to Achieve
The question is whether this means a definitive end to the negotiation track.
We know that Trump has given the green light to Israel, but what has he given the green light for? asks Persson.
It could also be that, from Israel's side, with these attacks, they are trying to put pressure on Hamas to be more accommodating at the negotiating table.
On the other hand, one of Israel's stated goals is to completely eliminate the terrorist-stamped Hamas as an organization. But the outcome so far shows that it is very difficult.
We should remember that Gaza has been subjected to some of the heaviest bombings in human history. It has not crushed Hamas.
So the question is what can be achieved this time with military force?
Displace the Population
A new aspect is also the vision Trump presented in connection with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's US visit in February, about "taking over" the Gaza Strip and relocating its Palestinian population to other countries.
Persson describes it as an important question in the background whether Trump has agreed to displace Gaza's population.
As he hinted in his plan to take over Gaza.
Another question is what remains of that plan – and it's probably not much.
