The images emerging from Israel this past week were heartwarming, the return of the 20 Israeli hostages who remained alive after just more than two brutal years in the clutches of Hamas. The ceasefire arrangement that effectuated the release was a remarkable accomplishment, and to date President Donald Trump’s most important, and most noble, foreign relations achievement.

The deal struck is, by any measure, a victory for Israel — and civilization — versus barbarism. Trump’s 20-point plan amounts to a list of conditions for Hamas’ surrender. There was no way the savage creeps would ever have accepted it had they not been thoroughly beaten, on and off the battlefield, to the point where they saw no alternative.

It’s important to recognize what got us here: Israel’s absolute commitment to victory over Hamas. The Israeli Defense Forces proved themselves, yet again, exceptionally capable in the execution of Israel’s longest war, and the Jewish nation’s intelligence services made up for their failure to decipher signs of the Oct. 7, 2023 invasion with audacious displays of skill and competence.

Of critical importance to Israel’s success was the support of the United States, particularly since January. Say what you will about Trump, but on the issue of Israel’s victory over terror, he was correct and unwavering, virtually the only world leader of note aside from Netanyahu who was. The supply of American weapons, along with financial, intelligence, political and moral support — and not least the airstrikes which served to largely immobilize Hamas’ puppet master, Iran, and took the nuclear threat off the table, at least for the time being — were instrumental. That single-mindedness — first, win the war, then we’ll deal the rest — was pivotal not only to the military defeat of Hamas in Gaza, but to marshalling Arab world, however tacitly, effectively isolating the terrorist group and dismantling Tehran’s proxy war against Israel.

So there is indeed much call for rejoice; but also reason for great caution. We have been here before, after all — Camp David, Oslo, and so forth — and it always ends the same. We know with near certainty Hamas will, at some point, break the ceasefire, that they are taking this as an opportunity to regroup, re-arm, and, while they’re at it, eliminate their internal competition in Gaza. Hamas has already violated the terms of the ceasefire by refusing to turn over the bodies of the hostages they murdered in captivity within the agreed upon timeframe. They are, as we speak, busily trying to consolidate their power in Gaza in the only way they know how — by dragging any opposition into the street and shooting them in the back of the head.

So where do we go from here? Much will depend on the international force expected to be established in Gaza. It should be stood up promptly, adequately armed, equipped and supported, and given a clear, unambiguous mandate — to quickly and violently immolate any attempt by Hamas, or another terrorist organization, to reconstitute, establish themselves as any kind of authority, or resume their jihad; in essence, to effectively serve as an occupying force. Moreover, the Arab and Muslim world needs to understand and back this. And no caterwauling about “ghosts of colonialism” from the United Nations or Western governments whose insipid and slovenly use of the term “genocide,” in referring to Israel’s defensive war, renders any argument they may have unintelligible. If the international peacekeeping force adopts the same neutered model as the UN’s infamously ineffectual presence in places like Bosnia, it will fail, and the region will be right back to where it was.

And what of the long-term prospects for Gaza? It is clear we no longer have the stomach for official inducements to the establishment of democratic arrangements — the prerequisite of which would be the final eradication of Hamas in any case; but even if we were still in the democracy-building business, it would be foolish to assume creating the mechanisms of democracy would result in a desirable result — Hamas was democratically installed there before, you will recall. But if not democracy, what then? Permanent occupation? Installation of a benevolent autocrat? But we’re not supposed to be in that business anymore either.

Even with strong U.S. leadership, success (meaning peace) in the region is far from assured, as grim experience instructs; but absent that leadership failure absolutely is. The demonstration of American strength was vital in bringing Hamas to their knees, and the hostages home. That same strength now needs to be demonstrated in Ukraine as well.

Kelly Sloan is a political and public affairs consultant and a recovering journalist based in Denver.