The core mistake repeating itself in Gaza is the belief that jobs, aid, and rebuilding will persuade committed jihadists to abandon their religious war against Israel. History and research say the opposite. A 2010 USIP study on al-Qaeda recruitment found economic factors were the least important reason young men joined; ideology and identity ranked first. The Second Intifada (2000-2005) erupted when Palestinian GDP was rising sharply. Gaza has received billions in aid since 2007, yet it remains a terrorist state. Prosperity does not reduce jihadist violence; it often funds it. The BESA Center (2018) warned that economic “Marshall Plans” only work after total military defeat and a shared enemy — conditions that never existed in Gaza and do not exist today. Now look at the current plan (Trump’s 20-point roadmap, UNSC Res. 2803, Nov 2025): an International Stabilization Force (Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Azerbaijan) will deploy uniformed troops, oversee $70 billion in reconstruction, and install a technocratic government. The hope is that new apartments and paychecks will marginalize Hamas. Reality check: Hamas already refuses full disarmament, offering only to “freeze” weapons. Contributing nations hesitate to send soldiers into a live-fire zone. Israel insists on buffer zones. Without dismantling the ideology that calls armed “resistance” a religious duty, the money will again flow into cement for tunnels instead of schools. Material incentives can calm things for a season, but they do not kill the idea that dying for jihad is the highest calling. Until that idea is confronted and defeated — not bribed — Gaza will remain a launchpad, not a partner. True peace requires victory over the ideology, not another round of construction contracts. Anything less is just the next false hope.