Donald Trump's Gaza peace deal will be his greatest ever achievement if ceasefire holds

People reportedly walked through Gaza’s ruined streets to wake people up with the news, while thousands of Israelis gathered in ‘Hostage Square’ in Tel Aviv, where there were tears but also singing and dancing.

The remaining hostages held by Hamas should now be released, in exchange for Palestinian detainees in Israel, and much-needed aid should be able to pour into the Gaza Strip.

‘You gave us back our families’

While difficult questions remain – such as will the terrorists of Hamas disarm and will the Palestinians be allowed to establish a state of their own, something Netanyahu opposes – this, is without question, the most hopeful moment since that grim day on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters murdered, kidnapped and raped innocent civilians.

In a letter to Trump, the hostages’ relatives asked to meet him “to look you in the eye and express what words alone cannot fully convey: that you gave us back our families, and with them, our hope."

If the ceasefire holds, it will be Trump’s greatest and most worthy achievement as US president and he deserves considerable credit. It may have come too late for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize – to be announced today – but, if so, he would surely be a strong contender for next year’s award.

A lasting and secure peace

The duty of the rest of the world now is to do whatever it can to help ensure this breakthrough gathers momentum.

The most pressing element of that task will be sending in enough aid to prevent further deaths from starvation in Gaza, such as among the estimated 55,000 children under the age of six who are believed to be acutely malnourished. There must then be a concerted effort to repair Gaza’s streets and homes and rebuild its shattered economy.

Despite what some may say, there is a path to a lasting and secure peace for both Israelis and Palestinians and, like Donald Trump, we must help them find it.