The race for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has taken a dramatic turn as former U.S. President Donald Trump finds himself at the center of a global debate, with his controversial 20-point Gaza peace proposal drawing both high-profile endorsements and fierce criticism. As the Nobel Committee prepares to announce this year’s laureate on Friday, October 10, the prospect of Trump claiming the world’s most prestigious peace accolade is stirring passions—and skepticism—from Oslo to New Delhi, and from Gaza to Washington.
According to AFP and corroborated by BBC and Free Malaysia Today, experts in Oslo have been quick to dismiss Trump’s chances. Oeivind Stenersen, a historian who has researched and co-authored a book on the Nobel Peace Prize, bluntly told AFP, “It’s completely unthinkable.” Stenersen argued, “Trump is in many ways the opposite of the ideals that the Nobel Prize represents.” He elaborated that the Nobel Peace Prize is about defending multilateral cooperation, such as work done through the United Nations, while Trump’s “America First” approach and divisive style run counter to those principles.
The skepticism from Norway’s experts comes despite the fact that seven world leaders—including those from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Gabon, Rwanda, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Israel—have formally nominated Trump for the 2025 prize. These leaders have cited his peacemaking efforts in various regions, from mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan to brokering talks between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and, most recently, his high-profile Gaza peace plan. As Breitbart News and Free Malaysia Today report, Trump has been vocal about his desire for the prize, stating it would be an “insult” to the United States if he did not win.
Yet, the Nobel Committee is expected to look for clear and tangible examples of successful peacemaking. Karim Haggag, head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), told AFP, “The Nobel Committee should assess whether there have been clear examples of success in that peacemaking effort.” Haggag and others have challenged Trump’s claims of resolving “six or seven wars in as many months,” calling the assertion grossly exaggerated.
This year, the Nobel Peace Prize field is crowded, with 338 individuals and organizations nominated. The names of nominees are kept secret for 50 years, and tens of thousands of people are eligible to submit candidates. The Nobel Prize itself consists of a diploma, a gold medal, and a cheque for around $1.2 million, as reported by Free Malaysia Today. The Nobel season begins October 6 with the medicine prize, followed by physics, chemistry, literature, and economics, but it’s the Peace Prize announcement on October 10 that has the world’s attention.
Trump’s latest bid for the prize hinges on his “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” a 20-point proposal unveiled by the White House on October 1, 2025. The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 72 hours, a phased Israeli troop withdrawal, and the disarmament of Hamas’s military wing. It also bars Hamas from any future governance role in Gaza, outlines an internationally funded reconstruction effort, and sketches a vague path toward a Palestinian state. The plan’s oversight would fall to a “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump himself and international figures such as Tony Blair.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s endorsement of Trump’s plan was both effusive and strategic. On September 30, Modi posted messages in seven languages—including English, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Russian—across his personal and official social media accounts, calling the proposal a “viable pathway” to sustainable peace. As detailed by OpIndia and Indian Express, Modi’s enthusiastic support marks a notable shift from his earlier stance, when he flatly rejected Trump’s claim of mediating between India and Pakistan. Modi’s multilingual outreach, experts suggest, signals a realignment with Washington and an effort to reinforce India’s pro-peace credentials at a delicate moment for the region.
The Gaza peace plan has also garnered backing from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several Arab and Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. European leaders such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have welcomed the proposal as a “significant step” toward stability, though they caution that lasting peace will require more robust commitments to Palestinian statehood.
But the plan is far from universally embraced. In early October, senior Hamas officials indicated to the BBC that the group is “likely” to reject Trump’s proposal, describing it as serving Israel’s interests and ignoring the core demands of the Palestinian people. A senior Hamas figure, speaking anonymously from Qatar, told the BBC, “This plan ignores the interests of the Palestinian people and offers nothing new beyond what Israel has already demanded.” The official argued that the proposal’s insistence on Hamas’s disarmament and exclusion from future governance amounts to “surrender” without addressing the blockade of Gaza or broader Israeli occupation. Internal divisions within Hamas have emerged, with some factions open to amendments—particularly to soften the disarmament clause—while hardliners view acceptance as a betrayal of their resistance mandate.
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are reportedly urging Hamas to consider the deal to prevent further devastation in Gaza. Palestinian sources told the Times of Israel that the group has requested “two or three days” to finalize its response. However, as Reuters reported, the faction willing to accept the deal does not control the hostages, limiting its influence. Trump, meanwhile, has issued a stark ultimatum, warning that if Hamas rejects the plan within three or four days, they will face “hell” and prolonged suffering for Gazans. “We’ve got momentum—Israel’s on board, the Arabs are on board. Hamas has to get on board, or pay the price,” Trump said at the White House.
On the ground, tensions are escalating. Israel’s defense minister has announced a “tightening of the siege” around Gaza City, ordering civilians to evacuate northern areas in anticipation of possible military action if talks collapse. With the war entering its second year and several Israelis still held hostage, the stakes are painfully high. A Hamas rejection of the deal would almost certainly mean the continuation of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
As the Nobel Committee weighs its decision, the debate over Trump’s candidacy has reignited old controversies. Critics point to the 2009 award to then-President Barack Obama—criticized even by the committee’s former head as premature—as a cautionary tale. Trump himself was previously nominated in 2020 for mediating between Kosovo and Serbia and for normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, but did not win.
With the announcement just days away, the world watches to see whether Trump’s self-styled role as a global peacemaker will earn him the ultimate accolade—or another round of international debate about what peace, and its prize, truly mean.
