Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas had agreed the first phase of a new ceasefire deal in Gaza. We’ve been here before, but is it different this time? Has Trump proved the doubters wrong?
Jonathan Freedland speaks to Julian Borger about the prospect for peace in the Middle East and the US president’s role in getting to this point
Archive: PBS Newshour
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Sidelines chat at UN was turning point for US president, but others also have right to claim role in end of two-year war
It is a well-known adage in politics that success has many parents, but failure is an orphan. Except when Donald Trump is involved, in which case there is only one parent.
Nevertheless, many countries and individuals have a right to step forward to claim an authorial role in the deal that it is hoped will bring an end to the two-year war in Gaza.
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After 733 days, news of agreement greeted with celebration in Tel Aviv and stickers saying: ‘They’re coming home’
Gaza ceasefire plan – live updates
For 733 days, Israelis have come to “hostages square” in Tel Aviv with a yellow piece of tape on their shirts bearing the number of days since 251 hostages had been taken captive by Hamas-led militants. On Thursday, the yellow stickers remained but the tally was gone. In its place was a simple phrase: “They’re coming home.”
For two years, protesters had occupied the square, which faces the Israeli military headquarters, with an encampment and held rallies demanding the hostages be returned from Gaza. The area was filled with art installations, pictures of the hostages and an electronic screen counting the days and seconds that hostages had been in captivity.
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An initially improbable peace plan put forward by US president Donald Trump was on Thursday agreed to in its ‘initial phase’ by Israel and Hamas
Rounds of celebratory gunfire rang into the night sky and people cried tears of joy and disbelief on Thursday as news of a peace deal reached those in devastated Gaza – and in Israel, where relatives have anxiously awaited the release of hostages detained since the war broke out two years ago.
“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” exclaimed Ahmed Sheheiber, a displaced Palestinian, crying over the phone from his shelter in Gaza City as he learned of the deal.
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The plan attempts to thread the needle between creating the conditions for a ceasefire and negotiating a lasting end to the war but hard questions remain
Follow the latest updates live
For Donald Trump, a peace deal – or even a durable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – could be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.
The details and sequencing of a deal to end Israel’s war in Gaza remain murky but the statement of purpose by both Israel and Hamas is meaningful. In agreeing to a deal with political backing from Arab states and other regional powers, this is the best chance for an end to the war since a ceasefire broke down in March, returning Gaza to a grinding war that has left nearly 68,000 people dead, most of them civilians.
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Russian lawmaker says of US missiles: ‘We will hurt those who cause us trouble’; Ukrainian counteroffensive causing heavy losses for Russia. What we know on day 1,324
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During a White House roundtable, secretary of state Marco Rubio handed Donald Trump a handwritten note with the words ‘very close’ underlined. ‘I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly,’ said the US president
Trump says Gaza peace deal ‘very close’ and he may travel to Middle East in days
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Fueled by dissent over the war in Gaza, the US public’s views are changing – and support for the Palestinians is rising
They seemed to be the ties that would for ever bind.
For three-quarters of a century, unshakable support for Israel – in the form of military aid and diplomatic backing, and underpinned by broad public sentiment – has been an indelible feature of the US political landscape.
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Trump administration reported to be planning expansion of ‘global gag rule’ to halt any initiatives promoting diversity, equity and inclusion
The Trump administration plans to export its “war on woke” by forcing foreign governments, non-governmental organisations and international bodies to abandon working on diversity, equity and inclusion or face being stripped of US funding.
The plans have been called an attack on other nations’ sovereignty and one health organisation warned of “unimaginable effects” including a rise in deaths and violence, as safe clinics for vulnerable groups close.
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