President Donald Trump touched down in Israel on October 13, 2025, stepping into a region transformed by two years of war and a flurry of last-minute diplomacy. His visit, marked by a whirlwind of speeches, handshakes, and signed documents, coincided with a moment many dared not imagine: the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed by Israel. The deal, brokered with help from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, has been hailed by some as the “historic dawn of a new Middle East,” but it leaves behind a trail of unanswered questions and deep-seated pain on both sides.
Trump’s arrival was timed to the minute, landing just as the hostages were handed over. According to Fox News, he credited the June 2025 U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites—Operation Midnight Hammer—for making the peace deal possible. “I think it really started when we took out the nuclear capability of Iran,” Trump told Fox’s Trey Yingst. “When you look at what they had, you couldn’t have made this deal with someone sitting over there with a nuclear weapon over your head.” He insisted Iran’s program was “obliterated,” a claim met with both applause in Israel’s Knesset and skepticism among international observers still awaiting full damage assessments.
The June strikes, the largest B-2 bombing mission in history, used 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs against Iran’s key nuclear sites. Trump’s message was clear: without the removal of the Iranian nuclear threat, regional actors would never have risked pressing Hamas into a deal. “Everybody came together at this point,” Trump said, highlighting the roles of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Egypt. “If you go back six months or seven months, you would have said a thing like this was impossible.”
Yet, as The New York Times reported, the peace remains fragile. The prisoner exchange, carried out under a tight 72-hour window, capped a war that began with the horrific Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. That assault killed more than 1,200 Israelis and saw around 250 people taken hostage. Israel’s military response was overwhelming: according to Gazan health authorities, about 67,000 Palestinians were killed in the ensuing two years, as Israeli forces bombed and invaded Gaza. The devastation is visible everywhere, with entire neighborhoods flattened and families torn apart.
For some, the cease-fire and exchange brought unalloyed relief. “You are coming home!” Einav Zangauker, the mother of a released hostage, said in a video call broadcast on Israeli television. But for others, the news was bittersweet or even agonizing. Saed Abu Aita, a Gazan father, told The New York Times: “There’s nothing to be happy about. My two daughters were killed, my home was destroyed and my health has deteriorated.”
The deal’s terms were stark. Israel released 1,968 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including approximately 1,700 held without charge or trial during the war and about 250 convicted of violent attacks, many from decades past. Among them were figures like Mohammad Adel Daoud, convicted in 1989 of killing Ofra Moses and her young son Tal. Abraham Moses, who lost his wife and son in that attack, described his mixed feelings: “We cried because the despicable murderer will be released,” he said. “But imagine the feeling of families who would embrace their loved ones returning from hell.”
Not all Israelis shared Moses’s view. Renana Meir, whose mother was killed by another released prisoner, wrote in an Israeli newspaper, “When the terrorist is let out of prison in the coming agreement, you will pay the price. Every Israeli in every house in Israel will be less safe.” The debate over the fairness and risks of such exchanges is not new—Israel has swapped hundreds or even thousands of prisoners for hostages before, sometimes with dire consequences. As The New York Times noted, Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas mastermind behind the 2023 attack, was himself released in a 2011 exchange.
In Gaza and the West Bank, the return of prisoners was met with jubilation and sorrow. Families rushed to greet loved ones, some of whom emerged haggard and in poor health after years in detention. “This feeling is indescribable,” said Nasser Shehadeh, released after three years in prison. His father, Bilal, was disturbed by his son’s condition, noting the deprivation he had suffered. Others, like Halima Abu Shanab, were both relieved and alarmed by the state of returning relatives. The Israeli Prison Service denied allegations of mistreatment, stating, “The Israel Prison Service operates in accordance with the law.”
Trump’s visit was a spectacle in itself. Addressing the Knesset—the first U.S. president to do so since George W. Bush in 2008—he praised Israel, his secretary of state Marco Rubio, and his own role in the negotiations, while sharply criticizing his Democratic predecessors. He even urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces ongoing corruption charges. The scene in Hostages Square was jubilant, with crowds chanting “Trump, Trump,” and lawmakers donning red MAGA-style hats. Netanyahu, whose popularity has waned domestically, declared Trump “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.”
Yet the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where Trump signed a document with the leaders of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, revealed the complexities ahead. The contents of the document remain unclear, and neither Israel nor Hamas signed or attended the meeting. Trump’s handshake with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, was their first since 2017, hinting at a possible thaw. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, though sidelined from the direct talks, attended to praise Trump’s efforts.
Trump predicted that “numerous countries of great wealth, power, and dignity” would contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction, and announced plans to expand the “Board of Peace” to oversee the territory’s governance. “It’s being worked on right now as we speak, and we’re actually in stage three and four,” he said, alluding to the next phases of his peace plan. He also floated the possibility of expanding the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states during his first term. “Now we don’t have excuses,” he said. “We don’t have a Gaza. And we don’t have Iran as an excuse.”
Still, the path forward is anything but certain. Critical questions remain: Will Hamas disarm? Who will govern and rebuild Gaza? Will the cease-fire hold, or will violence flare anew? Egypt, a key broker, worries about a mass influx of refugees and the risk of renewed conflict. Gulf states, expected to bankroll reconstruction, are wary of funding Gaza while Israeli operations continue. And the Palestinian Authority’s role in Gaza remains hotly contested, both by Israel and regional powers.
For now, families on both sides are embracing loved ones, mourning the lost, and bracing for whatever comes next. The world, as one analyst told The New York Times, “finally got something they have long wanted: U.S. buy-in.” Whether that will be enough to secure a lasting peace in a region so often defined by its tragedies remains to be seen.
