On October 13, 2025, in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, a moment that many thought impossible finally arrived: President Donald Trump, flanked by Middle Eastern leaders, signed the Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity. This agreement, according to The Dallas Express, formally ended more than two years of war in Gaza, ushering in a new chapter for a region long riven by conflict. The ceremony, attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was marked by a sense of historic gravity—and, perhaps, cautious optimism.
“It took 3,000 years to get to this point — and it’s going to hold up,” one participant declared, drawing applause from the assembled dignitaries. The Trump Declaration, as outlined in the White House memorandum dated October 13, pledges the signatories to “implement this agreement in a manner that ensures peace, security, stability, and opportunity for all peoples of the region, including both Palestinians and Israelis,” and to resolve disputes “through diplomatic engagement and negotiation rather than through force or protracted conflict.”
The document goes further, recognizing the region’s “deep historical and spiritual significance … to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism” and vowing to protect heritage sites and uphold dignity and equal opportunity for all. As the memorandum puts it, “We commit ourselves to a future of enduring peace.”
Yet the gravity of the moment was underscored by real, tangible progress: just hours before the signing, President Trump confirmed the release of 20 Israeli hostages held by Hamas under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire. “After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, twenty courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families,” Trump announced. “Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home … today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace.” According to Israeli officials, these were the last known living captives from the 2023 Hamas attacks, though recovery efforts for the deceased continue.
The significance of the agreement was not lost on the international community. In a striking gesture, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stood beside Trump after the signing and announced his intention to nominate the U.S. president for a second Nobel Peace Prize. “Pakistan had nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding, extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire, along with his very wonderful team,” Sharif said. “And today, again, I would like to nominate this great president … because he has brought not only peace in South Asia … and today, here in Sharm el-Sheikh, achieving peace in Gaza is saving millions of lives in the Middle East.”
Sharif’s effusive praise continued: “Mr. President, I would like to salute you for your exemplary, visionary leadership. I think you are the man this world needs most at this point in time. The world will always remember you as a man who did everything — who went out of his way to stop seven and, today, eight wars.” While the Nobel Committee has not confirmed receipt of a new nomination, Sharif’s remarks nonetheless underscored the global impact of the ceasefire.
Trump, for his part, responded with characteristic humor, referencing Norway’s recent decision to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. “Oh, Norway — aye, yay, yay,” he quipped with a smile. “Norway. What happened, Norway? What happened?”
Machado’s win, however, would soon become a story in its own right. Days after her Nobel victory for “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela,” as described by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Venezuela’s government announced it would close its embassy in Oslo. The Venezuelan foreign ministry claimed the closure was part of a diplomatic realignment toward the Global South, but many observers, according to The Guardian, saw it as a pointed rebuke to Norway for honoring Machado. Norway’s foreign ministry confirmed the closure and expressed regret, stating, “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction.”
Machado, a conservative politician and longtime opponent of President Nicolás Maduro, dedicated her Nobel Prize to both the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his support. “We are on the threshold of victory, and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” she posted to X (formerly Twitter). “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”
Speaking at a press conference, Trump recounted, “She was very nice. And I’ve been, you know, I’ve been helping her along the way. She — they need a lot of help in Venezuela, it’s a basic disaster.” The U.S. president’s relationship with Venezuela remains tense, especially after U.S. forces struck a vessel off Venezuela’s coast earlier in October that Trump claimed was carrying illegal drugs, and after he raised the bounty on Maduro’s head to $50 million.
Despite the Nobel win for Machado, Trump did not take home the prize himself. The news cycle, however, found its own form of catharsis. On October 14, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel reacted to Trump’s disappointment, noting that Trump received a phone call from Machado, who, according to Trump, said she was accepting the award “in honor of you.” Kimmel, with trademark wit, commented, “So now Trump’s focused on winning the prize next year, which is fine! Let him keep trying to make peace. I’m fine with coming up with prizes and trophies to motivate him — give him the Nobel Re-open the Government and Leave Healthcare Alone Prize.”
The ripple effects of the Gaza peace agreement have been felt far beyond the Middle East. According to Bloomberg, while the world has “overwhelmingly welcomed the fragile Middle East peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump,” the reaction in Southeast Asia has been more complicated. Nearly half of Southeast Asia’s 600 million people are Muslim, and solidarity with Palestinians is deeply rooted. Anger over the destruction in Gaza has deepened disenchantment with Washington, as countries like Malaysia and Indonesia voice frustration with what they perceive as the U.S.’s unwavering support for Israel. Skepticism now extends beyond religious lines, with many in the region questioning whether the U.S. applies international law consistently.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the cultural conversation around Trump’s peace efforts and Nobel ambitions has become fodder for satire. The October return of Saturday Night Live (SNL) and its iconic Weekend Update segment has been described by The Atlantic as “essential for civic satire amid political absurdity and cultural tension in 2025.” On October 11, SNL brought together Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Seth Meyers for a star-studded Weekend Update reunion, where comedians roasted Trump over his failed Nobel bid and lampooned other political figures. The show’s sharp satire offers a place for audiences to process the surreal nature of current events—and, perhaps, to find a bit of relief in laughter.
The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity may have ended the Gaza war, but its aftershocks—political, diplomatic, and cultural—are still reverberating. Whether the peace will last, and whether Trump’s legacy will include a Nobel Prize, remains to be seen. But for now, the world watches, waits, and, sometimes, laughs.