What if … the world took action to end Israel’s war on Gaza next week?

People have been asking “What if…” forever. Over the next few months, Al Jazeera will explore some of the biggest challenges of our time and ask leading experts: “What if…”

United States President Donald Trump has given the Palestinian group Hamas a deadline of Sunday to agree to a deal that he says would end Israel’s war on Gaza, but also allow Israel to remain in some parts of Gaza in the short term.
Critics, pointing to Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon following a ceasefire deal agreed there last year, and its ongoing raids on the occupied West Bank, are not sure whether the deal will actually stop Israel and bring peace to Gaza.

If it fails, many expect Israel to continue with a military campaign that has decimated Gaza, killing more than 66,000 Palestinians.

That’s despite global condemnation of Israel.

In mid-September, a United Nations commission echoed the conclusions of rights groups in Israel and abroad that Israel’s war was genocidal. Soon after, the European Union proposed suspending Israel’s trade concessions with the bloc. And a UN-backed body concluded in August that Israel had inflicted a man-made famine on the enclave.

Several of Israel’s traditional allies – including France, the United Kingdom and Canada – also recognised Palestine as a state in September, following others, including Norway, Spain and Ireland, that recognised Palestine last year.

Individual lawmakers have also condemned Israel. Last month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for Israel to be expelled from global sporting bodies “until the barbarity ends”. In May, Slovenia’s president, Natasa Pirc Musar, used the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions.So what if these countries took this further – could they cooperate and force Israel to stop attacking and withdraw from Gaza, even without support from the US?