Illustrative: Members of the United Nations Security Council vote against a resolution by Russia and China to delay by six months the reimposition of sanctions on Iran during the 80th UN General Assembly in New York City, US, Sept. 26, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Earlier this week, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 2803: a plan for the future of Gaza.

An absolute deluge of opinion pieces are currently claiming everything from the worst danger in the world, to a great victory for peace, and everything in between. Yet there’s one thing all of those authors, commenters, and talking heads have in common: as far as we know, none of them have actually read the resolution.

It usually takes several days before the United Nations releases the full text of its resolutions, and 2803 is not yet available as of the time of writing this. What is available? A whole variety of press releases, which apparently form the basis of the chatter from today’s “peanut gallery.”

Therefore, we are going to withhold our analysis of UNSC Resolution 2803 until we’ve actually read it — which is sadly a “radical” approach to the news these days.

In the meantime here’s what we know for certain:

• Resolution 2803 passed unanimously, with China and Russia abstaining;
• Hamas is fiercely opposed to the Resolution, which is probably a good sign;
• Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking on behalf of Israel, expressed support for the Resolution, even hinting that it may lead to an expansion of the Abraham Accords;
• The Resolution includes vague references to an eventual pathway to a Palestinian state: unlike most commentators, we will analyze this after we’ve actually read it. However, based on that we know so far, the relevant language is apparently highly vague and does not appear to place any real obligations on Israel.
• The Resolution is meant to create some kind of international force in Gaza, but details are murky at present.
• Israel is strongly opposed to Turkey or Qatar playing a direct role in Gaza, and based on non-public sources, we understand the United States is being respectful of this.
• Perhaps the most significant detail of all: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other parties are refusing to join any kind of reconstruction effort unless Hamas is fully disarmed. Therefore, implementation might not even be possible unless the IDF first “prepares the ground” by resuming combat. Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday that Gaza will be demilitarized, “the easy way or the hard way.”

Israel has learned the hard way to never outsource its security: the failure of the UN’s “UNIFIL” force in Lebanon is only the most recent and tragic example, and it is not presently clear exactly how Israel will ensure continued safety from Gaza.

One precedent which may apply to Gaza is the Lebanon ceasefire of last year, which allows Israel to carry out strikes against Hezbollah “as needed,” and which Israel has done hundreds of times.

In short, there’s much we don’t know, and until we do, it is premature to either celebrate or panic.

Daniel Pomerantz is the CEO of RealityCheck, an organization dedicated to deepening public conversation through robust research studies and public speaking.