U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday declared an official end to the devastating two-year war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, calling the signing of a new peace agreement “a tremendous day for the world.”
“The war in Gaza is over, and humanitarian aid is pouring in,” Trump announced in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he signed the historic accord in the presence of an unprecedented assembly of global leaders.
The U.S. president had flown to Egypt after a whirlwind four-hour visit to Israel, during which he addressed the Knesset and praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, President Trump, along with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, signed the declaration as official guarantors of the Gaza peace deal.
“I thought this would probably be the toughest challenge—and in many ways, it was—but we had a lot of extraordinary talent working together,” Trump said, as the region collectively exhaled after years of conflict that saw over 65,000 Palestinians killed and extended captivity for Israeli hostages.
In a significant diplomatic move, both Hamas and Israel were not direct signatories to the agreement. Instead, the accord was formalized by regional powers—Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—who have played central mediating roles throughout the conflict.
President Trump described the agreement as “very comprehensive,” outlining a framework for long-term stability in Gaza, including ceasefire enforcement, reconstruction guidelines, and humanitarian relief.
During the summit, Trump lauded Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as “a powerful leader who keeps crime down in his country,” and credited him with playing a pivotal role in facilitating the deal.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who had initially accepted an invitation to attend—ultimately withdrew due to the upcoming Jewish holiday. This conflicted with earlier statements from Egypt suggesting Netanyahu would be present.
The summit, co-chaired by Presidents Trump and Sisi, brought together an extraordinary lineup of global leaders. Among those in attendance were: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
As part of the ceasefire implementation, Hamas released the last 20 surviving hostages it had held since the start of the war. In a reciprocal move, Israel freed 1,968 prisoners—mostly Palestinians—according to the Israeli Prison Service.
“From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” Trump said during his address to the Knesset, receiving a prolonged standing ovation.
“For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace,” he continued. “Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”
The Sharm el-Sheikh summit tested whether high-level diplomacy could transition from political rhetoric to enforceable action, aimed at halting the war and laying the groundwork for Gaza’s reconstruction.
The stakes are critical not only for Gaza’s civilian population but also for regional stability, with fears that a fragile ceasefire could unravel if neighboring fronts reignite.
Experts say the breakthrough was the culmination of a carefully sequenced diplomatic strategy that began with Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, unveiled on September 29. The plan included provisions for a ceasefire, a detainee exchange, Hamas disarmament, and a roadmap for reconstruction.
Mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel laid the groundwork for Monday’s landmark signing. The initial implementation phase began on October 9 and created the political momentum that led to the broader agreement.
Whether the deal marks a genuine turning point depends, analysts say, on two critical factors: its legal enforceability and the region’s ability to contain further flare-ups.
President Trump expressed a particular gratitude to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for their for their diplomatic support toward achieving peace in Gaza.
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Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
