President Donald Trump has declared the Israel-Hamas war officially over, but Middle East experts caution that the path to lasting peace is only beginning.
On Monday, Israel released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners while Hamas freed the remaining Israeli hostages from Gaza marking the first step in Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the region.
“After years of endless war, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, and the Holy Land is finally at peace,” Trump said in an address to Israel’s parliament. “This is not just the end of a war it is the end of an age of terror and the beginning of an age of faith and hope.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while cautious about declaring the war over, praised Trump’s leadership. “Mr. President, your proposal brought our hostages home, ended the war by achieving our goals, and opened the door to a new era of peace,” Netanyahu said. “Together, we will achieve this peace.”
Trump has declared the Israel-Hamas war officially over
Following his speech in Israel, Trump traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he co-chaired a peace summit with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The summit concluded with the signing of the ceasefire agreement, which el-Sisi called “a historic milestone” and “a glimpse of hope” for regional stability.
Despite the celebratory tone, analysts warned that the hardest work lies ahead. Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney told, “I’d like to say it was peace it’s not peace yet. There’s still a long way to go.”
Key unresolved issues include Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament, and the establishment of an international trusteeship to oversee Gaza’s governance.
While en route to the region, Trump told reporters that Hamas would temporarily act as a local police force in Gaza. “They want to stop the problems, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” he said.
