Appearing Monday on Newsmax's "National Report," retired U.S. Army Col. Bill O'Connor praised President Donald Trump's diplomatic success in brokering a ceasefire and peace deal between Israel and Hamas — but cautioned that the hardest work is yet to come.
O'Connor, a veteran of Middle East operations, called the first stage of the deal "the easiest," noting that the release of hostages marked a critical but relatively straightforward milestone in what will be a long and uncertain peace process.
"I'll tell you that the first phase was the easiest phase, getting the hostages transferred," he said. "Now, remember there were 1,700 prisoners coming into Hamas, and a lot of these guys were very, very bad guys. That does kind of make things tough and the second and third phases will be tougher."
He explained that Hamas' refusal to disarm and its continued control over parts of Gaza are already complicating the second stage of the plan.
"For example, Hamas has said they are not going to disarm," O'Connor said. "Right now, from what I understand, they're kind of filling the gap, trying to get control again. They're only giving back four of the remains [of deceased hostages]. So, this is a challenge."
Despite his concerns, O'Connor acknowledged the magnitude of Trump's diplomatic breakthrough in the long-running conflict.
"This was a major, major diplomatic coup for Trump," he said. "One of the best, most incredible ones in my lifetime. But I'm very, very sober about the future right now. It's going to take a lot of work. The Arab nation buy-ins — they've got to talk about this and then try to use momentum even beyond this into, say, Ukraine."
O'Connor said he was especially worried about the 1,700 Hamas prisoners released as part of the exchange, warning that their return could destabilize Gaza.
"I'm a little concerned about the 1,700 that are coming back in," he noted. "Remember, Sinwar was also a prisoner, was exchanged. I'm a little leery about what that's going to cause."
As for keeping the fragile peace, O'Connor said he believes a small contingent of U.S. forces should be deployed alongside Arab peacekeepers to stabilize the region.
"I would also say this, that right now I believe that there should be some level of American troops within the area," he said. "Our professionalism, our credibility, all of that lends so much to peacekeeping. I know it goes against Trump wanting to put boots on the ground — it'd be a very small number — but I'm a little concerned with only the Arab nations in with the Palestinians trying to keep peace on the ground with Hamas trying to come back."
While hopeful, O'Connor's tone was clear: the toughest chapters of the Gaza peace deal lie ahead.
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