10th October 2025
Trump-brokered truce ends two-year war with aid, withdrawals, and fragile hopes for peace
President Donald Trump says he is on his way to the Middle East, where crowds are waiting for news that the Israeli government has ratified the ceasefire deal. It marks the first phase in a process designed to end a devastating two-year war. A full ceasefire will take effect within 24 hours, with a minimum of 400 aid trucks a day entering Gaza. On Friday, Israeli troops will begin a partial withdrawal but will remain in control of over half of the Strip. Hamas is expected to release the remaining hostages by Monday, while Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. However, major questions remain unresolved, including who will govern Gaza after the war.
News of the agreement reached Hostages Square in Tel Aviv late last night, where the families of captives gathered to celebrate. For them, this deal represents the end of a nightmare. Thousands took to the streets, calling it the most important agreement Trump has ever brokered. It is not a peace plan, but it is a declaration of the end of war. Across Gaza, there were also scenes of relief. After two years of constant bombardment, people smiled for the first time in months, even as the ruins around them reminded everyone how much had been lost. For a brief moment, two societies defined by grief celebrated the same thing—the hope that the killing might finally stop.
The deal came together during talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, where Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner secured Israeli agreement, while Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey convinced Hamas to accept. At the White House, Trump received word of the breakthrough during a domestic policy meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed him a note that read, “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post so you can announce the deal first.” Minutes later, Trump told reporters the Middle East was on the brink of a ceasefire and that he would soon travel to the region.
For families of hostages visiting Washington, Trump’s assurance that “they’re all coming back on Monday” brought emotional relief. But across Gaza, the reality remains bleak. Thousands of Palestinians have no homes to return to, and sporadic violence continues. Some in Gaza described the ceasefire as a chance for their children to live, even if the adults have already lost too much to recover.
More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war. There are no winners—only survivors. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, one of hundreds of retired officials who had urged Trump to pressure Israel to end the fighting, called it “a great day” and praised the American president for showing the will to bring the conflict to an end. Barak said Hamas as a military force had been defeated long ago, but the destruction of Gaza went far beyond what was necessary for Israel’s security. He predicted that a national inquiry would be launched after the war, investigating everything that happened before, during, and after October 7, and said he believed Prime Minister Netanyahu’s time in power would soon end. He added that Israel must eventually accept a two-state solution for its own survival, warning that without it, the country would become either non-democratic or non-Jewish.
In Washington, Trump told his cabinet that “nobody thought it was possible” to achieve peace in the Middle East. He plans to travel to Egypt for an official signing ceremony and then to Israel. Secretary of State Rubio credited Trump’s personal relationships with Arab leaders and his “decisive leadership” for securing the deal. Trump, clearly enjoying the praise, said even the mainstream media were being fair to him for once, and reports have already speculated about a possible Nobel Peace Prize.
In Gaza, the scale of destruction is almost beyond comprehension. Israeli forces have dropped more explosives there than fell on London, Dresden, and Hamburg combined during World War II. Less than half of Gaza’s hospitals are functioning, and 90% of schools have been damaged or destroyed. UN assessments show that more than 90% of homes have been hit, leaving entire cities flattened. The strip now contains an estimated 61 million tons of debris. Rebuilding will take years, and humanitarian groups are warning that famine and disease could still claim many more lives even after the fighting stops. Aid workers say the ceasefire will allow food and medicine to reach people more quickly, but the effects of malnutrition will continue for months.
A Palestinian journalist Yousef Hammash described the ceasefire as a “huge achievement,” but said the people of Gaza face years of recovery. Nearly all infrastructure has been destroyed, he said, and most residents want to leave because the territory has become unlivable. Ambassador Husam Zomlot of the Palestinian mission in Britain welcomed the ceasefire but called for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces and the restoration of Palestinian control under the PLO. He said the Palestinian government would organize national elections within a year of the ceasefire, giving citizens the chance to choose new leadership after the trauma of war. On the question of legal accountability, he insisted that proceedings at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice must continue independently, saying that holding war criminals to account is the only way to prevent future atrocities.
Zomlot, whose family is in Gaza, spoke of the emotional weight of the moment, calling it a chance for Palestinians “to grieve, to heal, and to rebuild.” He thanked global movements that had pressured for a ceasefire and said the Palestinian people had rejected “erasure and extermination,” standing resilient despite destruction.
In India, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer cautiously welcomed the deal, calling it “a crucial first step.” He praised Trump’s role but avoided saying whether he should receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Starmer emphasized that his priority was ensuring the agreement was fully implemented and that progress continued toward a lasting peace. Inside his Labour Party, which has been divided over Gaza, reactions were mixed—relief at the ceasefire tempered by anger over the scale of civilian loss. For many in Britain and around the world, the message was the same: this deal may have stopped the war, but the road to peace remains long and uncertain.
Meanwhile, in Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that María Corina Machado of Venezuela has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. In a post on X, the committee said it was honoring Machado “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
The announcement was made by Joergen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, followed by a press conference. Machado’s recognition marks a milestone in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, where she has long led the opposition to authoritarian rule.
Before the announcement, Norwegian officials had reportedly braced for possible diplomatic tension with Washington, amid speculation that Donald Trump might expect to receive the Peace Prize for his role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire. Norway’s Socialist Left leader Kirsti Bergstø said the country must be “prepared for anything,” highlighting concerns about Trump’s potential reaction.
The Nobel Committee noted that its decision had been made several days before the Gaza ceasefire agreement, stressing that the timing was coincidental and the process independent. Machado’s award is being hailed as a tribute to Venezuela’s democratic struggle and as an inspiration to all those pursuing peaceful political change under repressive regimes.
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