The horrific events of October 7, 2023, continue to echo through every clause of the 20-point peace plan now on the table. The deal proposed by President Donald Trump is not just a plan to end the current war; it is a direct response designed to ensure that an attack like the one that killed 1,200 Israelis can never happen again.
The central demand for Hamas’s complete disarmament stems directly from the October 7th attack. For Israel and its international partners, the assault proved that Hamas cannot be contained or managed; it must be eliminated as a military threat. This is why the surrender of weapons is the non-negotiable core of the agreement.
Similarly, the unwavering focus on the release of all remaining hostages is a direct consequence of the 250 people abducted that day. Their ongoing captivity is a national trauma for Israel, and their freedom has become a precondition for any cessation of hostilities.
Even the broad international coalition backing the plan was solidified by the shock of the attack. The brutality of the act stripped Hamas of international sympathy and made it easier for the US to rally a diverse group of nations, including those traditionally more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, around a plan to remove the group from power.
While the war has since inflicted a devastating toll on Gaza, with over 66,000 killed, the architecture of the peace deal remains shaped by its origins. It is an attempt to close the bloody chapter that opened on October 7th, but it does so on terms that reflect the security imperatives born from that day.