The goals of the current ceasefire proposal—often referred to as the U.S.-led, multi-phase plan, or "Trump's 20-point plan," given its recent promulgation—are explicitly designed to move beyond a mere immediate calm and serve as a crucial step toward a permanent peace agreement by first establishing the conditions for a long-term truce and a completely reformed post-conflict reality in the Gaza Strip and the wider region.

This framework is highly ambitious and is structured as a phased approach, where the successful implementation of the initial phase is intended to create the momentum and trust necessary to tackle the more intractable issues in subsequent phases. It is fundamentally a roadmap aimed at ending the war, restoring stability, and advancing a political process toward a lasting resolution of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Phase One: Immediate Calm and Humanitarian Actions

The first phase of the agreement is squarely focused on achieving an immediate calm and addressing the most urgent humanitarian and security imperatives. The core goals of this initial stage are:

• Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: The primary and most immediate goal is a complete halt to all military operations by both Israel and Hamas, effectively freezing frontlines and bringing an end to the active fighting.

• Hostage and Prisoner Exchange: This is a critical and highly choreographed goal, involving the release of all remaining living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a significant number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel. This mutual release of captives is essential for building minimal political momentum and providing relief to the affected families.

• Humanitarian Surge: The plan mandates the immediate and substantial increase in the entry of humanitarian aid, fuel, and necessary materials into all parts of the Gaza Strip to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis. This includes provisions for rubble removal, hospital rehabilitation, and ensuring the efficient distribution of aid by international organizations.

• Partial Israeli Military Redeployment: Israel is required to withdraw its forces from densely populated areas or pull back to pre-designated lines within the Gaza Strip. While not a full withdrawal, this repositioning is a key measure of de-escalation for this phase.

In essence, Phase One is the bridge. It seeks to transition from the immediate cessation of violence—the "immediate calm"—into a more sustainable arrangement by linking it directly to the exchange of hostages and prisoners and an essential surge in humanitarian relief.

Phase Two: Long-Term Truce and Demilitarization

The successful completion of the first phase is intended to trigger the second, which is centered on establishing a verifiable long-term truce and laying the groundwork for a secure, post-conflict Gaza. The goals of this phase move into areas that are far more challenging and contested:

• Agreement on a Sustainable Calm (Permanent Ceasefire): The central goal is for both parties to agree to and announce a "sustainable calm," which is a euphemism for a more permanent ceasefire. This moves the situation beyond a temporary truce into a longer-term cessation of hostilities.

• Full Israeli Withdrawal: In conjunction with the announcement of the "sustainable calm," Israel is expected to complete the withdrawal of its remaining forces from the Gaza Strip. This full withdrawal is a key demand of Hamas and other regional actors and a prerequisite for the next major goal.

• Demilitarization of Gaza: This is one of the most contentious goals, as the plan envisions the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, specifically requiring Hamas to decommission its offensive weaponry and dismantle military infrastructure. This is non-negotiable for Israel, which seeks to prevent future cross-border attacks, but it is a major sticking point for Hamas, which views its armed wing as a core element of its political identity and leverage.

• Security Measures and International Stabilization: To ensure the longevity of the truce, this phase includes the deployment of a temporary international stabilization force, often envisioned to comprise personnel from the U.S., Arab, and European nations. This force would oversee security and facilitate the training of a new, apolitical Palestinian police force, with the explicit goal of ensuring Gaza is a "de-radicalized terror-free zone."

The successful execution of Phase Two would represent the achievement of a true long-term truce—a cessation of fighting coupled with security and military reforms designed to prevent a return to conflict.

Phase Three: Step Toward a Permanent Peace Agreement, Governance, and Reconstruction

The final phase elevates the goals to a broader, comprehensive resolution, making this proposal a definitive step toward a permanent peace agreement and the resolution of the conflict. The main objectives include:

• Governance and Reconstruction: This involves establishing a transitional administration led by Palestinian technocrats, supervised by an international body, to manage the day-to-day governance and oversee the massive, multi-year, internationally-funded reconstruction of Gaza's homes, civilian buildings, and infrastructure. A core goal here is to ensure that Hamas has no role in the future governance of Gaza.

• Return of Remains: The final stage of captive exchanges is completed with the release of the remains of deceased Israeli hostages in exchange for the remains of deceased Palestinian bodies held by Israel.

• Ending the Blockade and Normalization: The plan calls for the end of the blockade on the Gaza Strip. More broadly, its success is intended to create the conditions for resuming, and perhaps accelerating, normalization discussions between Israel and other Arab and Muslim countries, fundamentally re-shaping the regional security architecture.

• Conditional Pathway to Palestinian Statehood: Crucially, this plan includes a commitment to the two-state solution, outlining a conditional pathway for the recognition of a Palestinian state. This is contingent upon the successful reconstruction efforts, necessary political reforms within the Palestinian Authority, and the establishment of a political framework for peaceful coexistence. This explicit commitment transforms the proposal from a mere ceasefire document into a foundational political blueprint.

In conclusion, the current ceasefire proposal is an integrated, three-tiered framework. It is not an either/or scenario among the options of immediate calm, long-term truce, and a step toward permanent peace. Instead, the proposal systematically attempts to achieve all three:

1. Immediate Calm is the minimum requirement of Phase One, achieved through the initial cessation of fighting and the hostage exchange.

2. A Long-Term Truce is the objective of Phase Two, secured by the establishment of a sustainable calm, a full Israeli withdrawal, and the initiation of demilitarization and security reforms.

3. The culmination in Phase Three is clearly structured as a comprehensive Step Toward a Permanent Peace Agreement, with goals encompassing post-conflict governance, massive reconstruction, the end of the blockade, and a conditional political horizon for a two-state solution.

The ultimate success of the plan hinges on whether the political will and security assurances secured in the first two phases are robust enough to overcome the massive political and logistical obstacles embedded in the final, transformative phase.