Trump and the Fragile Gaza-Israel Deal

Trump has done it — a fragile peace deal between Hamas and Israel after nearly two years of war. For whatever reason, he finally applied pressure, and Turkey, along with other Arab states, pushed Hamas as well. Fighting has stopped, at least for now.

This isn’t a perfect deal, and it’s far from guaranteed to last. There are still countless details to resolve, and so much that can go wrong. But for the first time in a long while, there’s a glimmer of hope.

I have to be honest — I expected more death, Gaza completely levelled. The few buildings that remain standing aren’t much to look at. But maybe now we can start turning a corner: rebuilding trust and finding a way to bridge both sides. Israel will have to reckon with its legacy in this war, and Gaza needs food and reconstruction before anything else.

It’s unclear how long the world’s attention will stay focused here, and what comes next is uncertain. Leaders of Hamas reportedly got some immunity as a trust-building gesture — whether Israel accepts that is another question entirely.

From a political angle, Trump’s role here is remarkable — but let’s not whitewash what’s happened. He has blood on his hands. Palestinians have been killed since January, including children, many starved to death, and even US citizens were murdered in the West Bank. He dragged his feet, bypassed Congress, and kept sending military support anyway. This deal could have been possible months ago. Unlike Biden, he managed to get it over the line, but that doesn’t erase the cost.

Few others could have pulled this off, and with full control of his party he bulldozed a hostage deal into place. If it holds, it could be another feather in the cap of a president often seen as isolationist. Both of his terms could now be marked by major foreign policy achievements — the irony for someone who supposedly wanted to “focus at home.” For now, though, it’s a ceasefire and a hostage deal. Nothing more.

A fragile peace is better than none. It’s far from a done deal, but after all this time, hope is worth noting. Maybe this could grow into something larger, not just a hostage arrangement. A Nobel Peace Prize is still a fantasy — a hostage deal won’t get him that. But if Trump actually puts in the hard work, it might one day be within reach.