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Israel, going back decades, has played the same duplicitous game. It signs a deal with the Palestinians that is to be implemented in phases. The first phase gives Israel what it wants—in this case the release of the hostages—but Israel habitually fails to implement subsequent phases that would lead to a just and equitable peace. Hamas is seeking a permanent ceasefire. But Israel says it retains the right to re-engage militarily. There is no agreement about who will govern Gaza. Israel has made it clear that the continuance of Hamas in power is unacceptable. There is no mention of the status of UNWRA, the U.N. agency that Israel has outlawed and that provides the bulk of the humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced. There is no agreement on the reconstruction of Gaza, much of which lies in rubble. And of course, there is no route to an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. There are many, many ways this can fall apart, as I expect it eventually will. But let us rejoice that, at least for the moment, the mass slaughter has stopped.