Trump eyes Middle East peace with Iran as he declares ‘end of Gaza war’

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, Trump hailed what he described as the close of a “long and painful nightmare,” saying: “This is not only the end of war – it is the end of an era of terror and death. Israel, with our help, has achieved all that it can through force. Now the time has come to turn those hard-won victories into peace and prosperity for the whole Middle East.”

He stressed that Israel’s campaign in Gaza had achieved its military objectives, reassuring Arab states that Washington would prevent both a renewed conflict and any Hamas resurgence.

Soon after, Trump travelled to Egypt for a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, joined by over twenty world leaders, to endorse his peace plan, Gaza’s reconstruction, and a framework for limited Palestinian self-rule. The United States, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt signed a joint document outlining their commitments as guarantors of the peace process.

Trump told reporters the second stage of his Gaza initiative — the rebuilding phase — was already in progress. “You can start cleaning up,” he said. “Look at Gaza — it’s debris times ten.” Reconstruction costs are estimated to exceed $30 billion, and Washington is seeking substantial contributions from wealthy Arab nations.

He predicted confidently: “Gaza will be demilitarised, Hamas will be disarmed, and Israel’s security will no longer be in jeopardy.”

Trump also hinted that Israel’s heavy reliance on military force had begun to erode global sympathy. “If you’d gone on fighting for another few years, things would have gotten very bad,” he said. “I told Bibi [Benjamin Netanyahu], you’ll be remembered for making peace — not for continuing the killing.”

The US president signalled plans to press Arab states to swiftly finalise the Abraham Accords, which call for recognition of Israel. He even suggested that Iran was “ready for peace.”

Meanwhile, European diplomats privately warned that the sudden ceasefire would require the rapid deployment of an international stabilisation force and a Palestinian civil police unit to ensure Hamas disarmament.

France, the UK, and the US have offered to back the international force, though its credibility, diplomats say, depends on participation from Muslim-majority nations like Indonesia and Turkey. France is also pushing for a UN mandate similar to the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

A Palestinian National Authority (PNA) police force, trained in Egypt and Jordan, is on standby to enter Gaza. However, diplomats caution that delays could trigger renewed clashes with Hamas.

Neither Netanyahu nor Hamas attended the summit.

Trump, who met Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas for the first time in eight years, said he would personally chair a “board of peace” to supervise Gaza’s reconstruction and oversee a technocratic Palestinian administration. He invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to join the board and said he was considering appointing Tony Blair as a member.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Abbas’s participation, calling it “a positive signal” and reaffirming the need to link Gaza’s future to a viable two-state solution. Macron said Europe would increase its training of Palestinian police forces but would not contribute troops to the new stabilisation mission.

France and Egypt also plan to co-host a humanitarian conference for Gaza “in the coming weeks,” Macron added.