Demilitarize Gaza now, through aid

One of the more shocking aspects of the hostage release carnivals in Gaza is the amount of weapons brandished by fighters who were, until recently, hidden either underground or wearing civilian garb in UNRWA-supported safe zones. Yet this gratuitous display of aggressive potential also opens up an opportunity for those in the international community who would like to prevent another outbreak of violence in the near future.

There is, as Donald J. Trump may say, a deal to be made.

Here is the deal peace-desiring international community members should make with the Hamas-controlled government in Gaza: all international aid to Gaza should be given in return for the forfeit of weapons.

Israel and its allies should insist on this formulation now before the aid starts to flow because Hamas is already making progress with its campaign to raise an estimated $6.5B as a stopgap before long term construction can begin. Before Hamas can buy the 200,000 tents and 60,000 trailers they are seeking, let alone the heavy digging equipment it wants, countries and institutions committed to stopping the violence must establish a rubric: trade for aid.

For example, want a bag of flour? Ten bullets. A tent? Hand over a rifle. An ambulance? Give us a rocket, fully loaded.

Israel’s traditional detractors will have a hard time opposing such a deal. Even they cannot hide that Hamas has shown it maintains its weapons, has restocked its warfighting capabilities, and proudly proclaims in public broadcasts that they intend violence.

Any honest observer who cares about the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians should admit that there is no rational justification for the Palestinians of Gaza to remain armed. Israel’s overwhelming response to the attacks of October 7, 2023, shows that Israel can and will respond with crushing force. Every weapon in the hands of Palestinians is, therefore, a net negative for Palestinian security.

Some might argue that holding up aid is unacceptable no matter the reason. Yet conditioning life-saving aid on the turning-in of weapons is not the withholding of aid. There clearly are weapons in Gaza that can only be put to ill use. The less weapons in Gaza, the less Palestinians will be harmed by their use.

Moreover, Trade for Aid has already been validated elsewhere: multiple pilots testing the idea of trading weapons in return for development have sprung up since the Albanian test case in the late 1990s, and international organizations have every reason to assume it will work here.

By publicly announcing a Trade for Aid deal for Gaza, the international community will do something sorely lacking: it will affirm Palestinian agency, ending decades of Orientalist attitudes that hold Palestinians to be no more than objects in a drama beyond their control. By affirming that the Gazans have a right to choose their path forward, the international community will finally treat the Palestinians as adults. Adults who can choose what is more important to them: bread or bombs.

A Trade for Aid deal will create the conditions for the people of Gaza to take control of their situation by legitimizing their demands from Hamas. It will give those who fear coming out against Hamas the opportunity to engage in a loyalist debate within the movement, advocating its leadership make a choice that any life-loving rational actor would call a no-brainer: by giving up weapons in return for aid they will reduce the casus belli for Israel, increase the chances that the current Hostage Deal will be completed, and create the conditions for international agencies to begin the reconstruction of Gaza without fear of weapons being used against them.

Now is the time for all those who seek peace in our region to raise their voices in favor of Trade for Aid. We are in a fragile moment, so close to a return to war. For the sake of the innocents, for the sake of the children who have lived in hellish conditions for over a year, we need to close the chapter of war and open a new chapter for the betterment for all in the region. Much of this depends on the demilitarization of Gaza, and the best way to go about that is to offer the Palestinians the opportunity to trade their harm-causing weapons for life-saving aid.