In a dramatic declaration during his visit to Tel Aviv, the U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Gaza war is “officially over,” as Israel and Hamas enter the first phase of a fragile truce brokered under his proposed 20-point Gaza Peace Plan. The agreement includes the release of 20 Israeli hostages and the return of 28 bodies held in Gaza, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners detained since the conflict’s onset in October 2023.
Trump is scheduled to address a special session of the Israeli Knesset on Monday, where he is expected to outline a broader framework for reconstruction and demilitarization of Gaza. His upcoming appearance at a joint peace summit in Cairo aims to secure regional consensus involving Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates countries instrumental in mediating the ceasefire.
While Trump’s declaration marks a symbolic closure to 18 months of devastating war, Israel’s defence establishment remains cautious. Military officials maintain that operations against remaining Hamas networks could continue “as needed.” Humanitarian agencies have meanwhile pressed for sustained aid access, as Gaza reels from collapsed infrastructure, displacement, and shortages of essential supplies.
Whether this truce becomes a sustainable peace or another temporary pause now depends on mutual compliance, international oversight, and the political will to transform rhetoric into reality.
