WASHINGTON—In a historic breakthrough, President Donald Trump has accomplished what many thought impossible just a month ago: striking a peace deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group to bring an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

During his whirlwind visit to Israel and Egypt on Oct. 13, Trump hailed the “dawn of a new Middle East” as millions of people around the world watched on screens the tearful reunions of families in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

“It was an experience like no other!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on the way back to Washington.

In the first phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, all living Israeli hostages and almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were freed, marking the end of two years of bloodshed and opening a new chapter of hope for the region.

By returning the hostages, Hamas surrendered the key leverage it had held for two years. This has been praised as an extraordinary accomplishment for Trump and his negotiating team, which included special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Israelis gather with national flags outside the Reim military base near the border with Gaza in southern Israel to welcome the hostages about to arrive following their release by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 13, 2025. (MAYA LEVIN/AFP via Getty Images)

More than 20 world leaders joined Trump in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to celebrate.

They showered Trump with praise for his personal diplomacy, with many promising to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize next year.

The summit’s host, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, said he had always believed that Trump was “the only one” who could end the war in the Gaza Strip. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed that sentiment, calling Trump “a man of peace” and saying, “You are the man this world needed the most at this point in time.”

Many observers praised Trump for achieving what other leaders had long sought but never accomplished. Some pointed to his deal-making style, centered on fostering trust and personal connections.

According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s strategy of building friendship in the Middle East was key to making the peace deal possible.

“Remember a month ago, I never thought this was possible,” Rubio said during a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 9.

Gaza hostages Ziv and Gali Berman wave to supporters as they are transported in a vehicle after their arrival at Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Oct. 13, 2025. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

He said things “took a turn” at the United Nations a few weeks ago when Trump convened a meeting with the leaders of Arab, Muslim-majority nations to create a coalition behind his peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

After getting their approval, Trump and his team turned to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pressured him to agree to the framework, despite his initial reservations. During Netanyahu’s visit to the White House on Sept. 29, Trump also pressed the Israeli prime minister to call Qatar and apologize for his country’s Sept. 9 military strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar.

“I’ve seen a lot of American presidents,” Netanyahu said on Oct. 13 as he welcomed the U.S. president to the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset. “I’ve never seen anyone move the world so quickly, so decisively, so resolutely as our friend, President Donald J. Trump.”

In Egypt, Trump personally thanked each of the leaders, commending their support for the peace deal. Most leaders had traveled to the summit on short notice to be part of the celebration.

During his address to the gathering, Trump spoke largely off the cuff, mixing humor and praise for the gathered world leaders while occasionally delivering lighthearted jabs.

“You’re friends of mine, you’re great people,“ he said. ”I have a couple I don’t like in particular, but I won’t tell you.”

“We listened and we exchanged ideas, and we kept pushing forward until the job was done,” Trump said, referring to the intense behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the peace plan.

Although concerns remain over the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction and future governance, the Sharm el-Sheikh summit has generated significant international momentum.

During the summit, Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey signed a declaration backing the Gaza peace agreement and committing to “enduring peace” in the region.

Families and friends of Gaza hostage Elkana Bohbot react as they watch the hostage release live stream from the home of Bohbot's mother in Mevaseret Zion in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 13, 2025. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

The leaders also sealed their commitment to dismantling “extremism and radicalization in all its forms” in the Gaza Strip.

Even Trump’s critics, former Presidents Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, praised the Gaza deal.

“President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached,” Clinton said in a statement on Oct. 13.

Biden wrote on X: “The road to this deal was not easy. I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.”

Many Questions Remain

According to Trump’s peace plan, the Gaza Strip will be governed by a temporary, apolitical Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing daily public services and municipalities in the region.

International Red Cross vehicles move towards the eastern Gaza Strip from Khan Yunis on Oct. 13, 2025. (ABDELRAHMAN RASHAD/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The committee will be composed of qualified Palestinians and international experts. It will operate under the oversight of a new international body, the “Board of Peace,” headed and chaired by Trump. The board will include prominent names such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, with additional members to be announced.

“We’re going to put some of you on the Board of Peace,“ Trump told world leaders. ”Everybody wants to be on the Board of Peace.

“They said, ‘Would you be the chairman?’ I said, ‘I’m pretty busy too.’ But whatever we can do to have peace in the Middle East, it’s worth it.”

The peace plan also states that when Gaza Strip redevelopment advances and the Palestinian Authority completes its reform program, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

The plan includes making the Gaza Strip a “deradicalized terror-free zone” so that it does not pose a threat in the future. The Gaza Strip will receive full aid when hostilities end.

People gather to watch the hostage release live stream at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 13, 2025. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Trump said on Oct. 14 that he will take action if Hamas refuses to disarm.

“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “They know I’m not playing games.”

Currently, a security vacuum has emerged because of Israel’s partial withdrawal, leading to clashes between armed clans and Hamas forces that have killed dozens of people.

Hence, the top priority for the Gaza Strip will be establishing an International Stabilization Force under Trump’s peace plan. This force will be tasked with training and supporting vetted Palestinian police forces and coordinating with Israel and Egypt to secure border areas.