Celebrations have broken out in both Gaza and Israel following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have managed to reach an agreement on implementing a ceasefire in Gaza, which would lead to the release of the remaining Israeli captives. It would be the first step in ending Israel's war on Gaza, in which it has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the span of two years.
US President Donald Trump, who has invested a significant amount of political capital in pressing for a deal, was characteristically upbeat when details of the deal emerged after days of intensive negotiations in Egypt. He was in the midst of a media briefing on domestic US issues when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupted him to break the news that a deal had been reached.
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump wrote. "This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace."
Trump’s push for a ceasefire is said to be driven by motivated by his desire to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which is due to be announced on Friday, 10 October. The US president quickly claimed credit for the deal, declaring in an interview with Reuters that, "The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day. This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everybody."
Meaningful impact
Trump’s intervention in the negotiations—which started when he announced his 20-point plan for ending the conflict during his latest meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington—has undoubtedly had an impact, not least his determination to pressure the Israeli leader to end hostilities.
