Amid relief at the prospect of the hostages returning home and an end to the carnage and destruction in Gaza, there are also many questions about why a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — brokered with the help of Qatar — could not have been signed eight months ago.

For some observers, the key difference is the incoming US president who found it difficult to say no to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Donald Trump is putting “strong pressure … not only on Hamas and the Qataris, but also on us to reach a deal,” Israel’s Channel 14 political commentator Tamir Morag told his audience on Tuesday, referring to his conversations with officials within Netanyahu’s government.

On Channel 12, his political correspondent Yaron Avarham sounded a similar tone.

Trump “pushed hard and made it clear to the prime minister that he wanted to see a deal before his inauguration,” on Jan. 20, Avarham said, adding that the draft proposal was “the same deal” that was presented by the Biden administration on May 27.

That proposal called for a permanent cease-fire, beginning with the exchange of hostages and Palestinian detainees along with Israel’s withdrawal from the populated areas of Gaza. It also included an increase in humanitarian aid accompanied by a long-term plan to rebuild the devastated enclave.

AND draft current agreement the review provided to news agencies such as Reuters by Israeli and Palestinian officials contains all, or nearly all, of the same provisions.

It is unclear exactly what, if any, power Trump has applied to Israel, but in December he vowed that “all hell will break loose” if there is no deal.

While this was widely interpreted as a threat to Hamas, it may also have ramifications for Israel.

Some Israeli observers believe that Netanyahu and the Gaza war simply became a distraction that Trump did not want to deal with – and that the prospect of being a historic dealmaker was far more attractive.

“I think Trump has other issues on his agenda,” said Yossi Beilin, a former Labor minister in the Israeli government and a key figure who helped launch the peace talks that led to the 1995 Oslo Accords.

Trump and Netanyahu have a “very, very fragile friendship,” he told CBC News, suggesting that while the two leaders may share authoritarian tendencies, they are not natural allies.

More than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the past 15 months — and the pace of Israeli bombardment has continued relentlessly even as negotiators have sought to reach a final deal, with another 27 dead in the last day alone.

On the Israeli side, more than 1,200 were killed during Hamas’ rampage across Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, most of them civilians, while another 403 soldiers lost their lives fighting in Gaza.

Hamas has taken nearly 250 people hostage, and dozens are still believed to be alive in captivity.

Under the terms of the truce, Hamas agreed to return 33 hostages in the first 16 days and then negotiate the return of the others. Israel has agreed to withdraw from most of Gaza, except for the buffer zone around the perimeter. After the hostages are released, Israel will also release more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Biden’s deal?

On Monday, US President Joe Biden appeared to take credit for the progress, saying the current proposal was largely the same one he and his team tried to get both sides to agree to eight months ago, without success.

Since then, through a series of failed negotiations, tens of thousands of Palestinians and more than 122 Israeli soldiers have been killed, and at least eight hostages are dead; some killed in Israeli attacks.

Biden and his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, have been heavily criticized by Palestinians, rights groups and even some hostage families for repeatedly making concessions to Netanyahu.

Opponents blame the Biden administration for enabling horrific Israeli attacks on residential areas in Gaza and for repeatedly failing to enforce so-called American red lines, such as when the Israeli Defense Forces invaded the southern Gaza city of Rafah, threatening hundreds of thousands of people.

Families of hostages with US citizenship also wanted the president to cut their own deal with Hamas to free their loved ones, because they felt the Israeli government was ignoring the Biden administration.

But in addition to international pressure, domestic politics also likely influenced Netanyahu’s decision to agree to a deal this time.

After 15 months of relentless pounding on Hamas, the “total victory” promised by the Israeli leader is out of reach.

The militant group is still launching rockets into southern Israel and, in the past 72 hours, nine Israeli soldiers have been killed and more than a dozen seriously injured in northern Gaza.

While Hamas’ key military leaders were killed, so was the group demonstrated resistance by recruiting thousands of new members.

“The mood is somber,” said Beilin, a former cabinet minister.

“The government is saying, ‘Yes, we’re winning’… But you can’t go on with this explanation for too long.”

Strong voices within Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, however, continue to push Israel to continue the fight,

Far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir he boasted about the pressure he put on Netanyahu to derail earlier ceasefire deals – and called on his coalition partners to do the same this time.

Ultimately, though, Netanyahu may have calculated that confronting Ben Gvir and bringing the remaining hostages home alive contributes to a much-needed political victory.

“The extreme right is a burden for (Netanyahu),” Mairav ​​​​Zonszein, an analyst at think-tank Crisis Group, wrote on X. “He has an interest in returning the hostages because it takes the pressure off him and is a win for the Israeli public.”

Hamas has weakened

Hamas’ weakened position was also apparently a factor in its decision to strike a deal.

Despite successful recruitment efforts inside Gaza, its broader strategic position has deteriorated since May.

Its military leader and 7 October mastermind Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in October. Israel has also killed much of the leadership of its key ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran, one of Hamas’ key benefactors and an important supplier of military equipment, has also been weakened by Israeli attacks.

In Khan Younis on Tuesday, in the middle of a tent city of hundreds of thousands of people driven from their homes by the war, people told CBC News they hoped the militant group would not sabotage their chance to start their lives again.

“We hope that Hamas agrees with these negotiations and will try to end the suffering of our Palestinians,” said Hala Abu Dabaa, 30.

Alaa Awda, 32, said much the same thing.

“After this war is over, I hope we will live in peace, we will be able to rebuild our homes and live a life like others from all over the world.”