Washington, D.C. – October 14, 2025
In a candid exchange aboard Air Force One that underscored the delicate balance of post-conflict diplomacy, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday declined to endorse a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, redirecting attention to the massive task of reconstructing the war-torn Gaza Strip. The remarks, delivered during his return flight from a whirlwind Middle East tour, came mere hours after Trump co-hosted a landmark summit in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort, where more than 20 world leaders affixed their signatures to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement.
"I'm talking about something very much different. We're talking about rebuilding Gaza," Trump told reporters when pressed on comments from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who had advocated for a two-state framework and an independent Palestinian state as essential for lasting peace. "I’m not talking about single state or double state or two state. We’re talking about the rebuilding of Gaza," the president reiterated, his tone a mix of pragmatism and deflection that has become a hallmark of his deal-making style.
The exchange highlighted the immediate priorities emerging from the summit: not abstract geopolitical blueprints, but the gritty realities of clearing rubble, demilitarizing the enclave, and injecting billions into infrastructure shattered by two years of relentless conflict. Earlier that day, Trump and al-Sisi had presided over a gathering that included leaders from Qatar, Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and others. Notably absent were representatives from Israel and Hamas, the primary combatants, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu citing the proximity to Jewish holidays as his reason for declining Trump's personal invitation.
The Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit marked the formal endorsement of the first phase of Trump's comprehensive 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan, a framework that has been hailed by some as a diplomatic triumph and criticized by others as overly ambitious or evasive on core issues like governance and statehood. The agreement, signed amid a backdrop of Red Sea luxury resorts repurposed for high-stakes talks, outlined immediate steps including the release of all remaining living Israeli hostages—20 in total—from Hamas captivity, in exchange for Israel freeing approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, among them 250 serving life sentences for terrorism-related convictions.
As buses ferried freed Palestinian detainees through the scarred landscapes of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, past buildings reduced to skeletal frames by Israeli airstrikes, scenes of cautious jubilation unfolded on both sides of the divide. In Jerusalem, Trump received a standing ovation from the Knesset after addressing Israeli lawmakers, where he met with families of the released hostages and quipped about potentially pardoning Netanyahu amid applause—"He was getting a very good hand, so it was good timing," the president later joked aboard Air Force One. The hostages' return evoked raw emotion: tearful reunions at Ben Gurion Airport, where medical teams assessed the captives for trauma sustained during 24 months in underground tunnels. Among the Palestinians released were at least 55 healthcare workers, including 24 nurses, seven doctors, and two paramedics, as documented by the advocacy group Healthcare Workers Watch. One freed detainee, Mohammed al-Khalili—brother of an Al Jazeera correspondent—described his 19 months in Israeli custody as a period of "beating and humiliation," underscoring the human toll exacted on both sides and sides.
The ceasefire's activation on Friday had already prompted tens of thousands of internally displaced Palestinians to trek northward along Gaza's coastline—on foot, in battered cars, or donkey carts—toward homes now little more than craters and debris fields. The enclave, once home to 2.3 million people, lies in ruins: the World Bank and Egypt's postwar assessment peg reconstruction costs at a staggering $53 billion, encompassing everything from unexploded ordnance clearance to highways, ports, and even luxury resorts under public-private partnerships. Trump's vision, first floated in February 2025 amid controversy over proposals to temporarily relocate Gazans for rebuilding, now pivots to transformation: an "Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone" along the Gaza-Israel border, U.S.-regulated data centers, a small airport, and integration into the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
"A lot of people like the one-state solution. Some people like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see. I haven’t commented on that," Trump continued, signaling openness to future decisions but emphasizing coordination with "countries of great wealth and power and dignity" that have pledged aid. He didn't name specifics but alluded to commitments from Gulf states and Europe, with the
White House posting photos of Trump engaging hostage families in Jerusalem under the caption "THEY'RE HOME." Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani praised the summit's "positive outcomes" as a "starting point for future agreements," while the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt issued a joint statement lauding Trump's "sincere efforts" and stressing adherence to international law.
Yet, beneath the pageantry, fault lines persist. Al-Sisi, in his summit address, framed the two-state solution as non-negotiable for "durable" peace, a stance echoed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who attended despite initial exclusions for Hamas and Israel. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, present at the talks, warned of the fragility, with humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher allocating an additional $11 million from emergency funds to scale up aid as winter looms—bringing total UN support for food, water, shelter, and health to $20 million. European Council President Antonio Costa welcomed the plan but urged all parties to "seize this moment," while Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry stressed "mutual trust."
The conflict's origins—a Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251—ignited a war that displaced nearly all of Gaza's population and claimed over 41,000 Palestinian lives, per Gaza health authorities. Trump's intervention, building on his first-term Abraham Accords, shifted U.S. policy dramatically post-reelection, with February 2025 proposals initially sparking backlash for suggesting U.S. "ownership" of Gaza or permanent Gazan resettlement—ideas later walked back by aides like Marco Rubio as temporary measures for demining. Critics, including Chatham House analysts, argue the plan risks "irreparable damage" by prioritizing displacement over Palestinian statehood, potentially destabilizing Arab regimes. Netanyahu, who supported early relocation ideas, thanked Trump for "unremitting help" in hostage returns but has not committed to broader concessions.
On X (formerly Twitter), reactions poured in swiftly. Users like @ShaykhSulaiman_ amplified Trump's quotes, garnering thousands of views, while @RT_com and @clashreport shared clips emphasizing the rebuilding focus, sparking debates on statehood. Pro-Palestinian voices, such as @cheguwera, highlighted the sidestep as avoidance, while supporters praised the "bold vision."
As Trump touched down in Washington, he hinted at his next horizon: ending the Russia-Ukraine war, calling Israel's Gaza campaign "bad and heated" in recent Netanyahu chats. "Rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part," he said of Gaza, invoking his real estate roots. "We know how to build better than anybody in the world." But with governance unresolved—Hamas disarmament demanded by Israel, demilitarization a ceasefire caveat—the path forward remains fraught. Egypt plans a reconstruction conference, but as former President Joe Biden posted on X, this day brings "deep gratitude and relief" for hostages and civilians alike, a chance to "rebuild their lives."
The summit's success hinges on implementation: U.S. troops may monitor borders, per some reports, amid warnings from the Holy See's Jerusalem Patriarch that Gazans "want to rebuild" in place, roots unyielding. Trump's ambiguity on statehood— "At some point, I’ll decide what I think is right," as he put it—leaves room for negotiation but fuels speculation. Will the "Riviera of the Middle East" vision materialize, or will it founder on the rocks of unresolved sovereignty? For now, the focus is Gaza's scars: a $53 billion canvas awaiting not just bricks, but bridges to an uncertain peace.
In Sharm el-Sheikh, as leaders posed for family photos against the Sinai backdrop—Trump clasping hands with al-Sisi over signed documents—the air buzzed with cautious optimism. Qatari diplomats, tragically, had perished in a car crash en route days earlier, a somber reminder of stakes. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite past criticisms of Israel, joined the signatories, as did Britain's Keir Starmer and France's Emmanuel Macron, signaling broad buy-in. The document, a "broad vision" per Trump, mandates a "new honest civilian police force" for security and demilitarization, with aid flows resuming—World Food Programme officials eyeing January 2025 precedents for unhindered entry.
Back in Gaza, the UN's $11 million infusion targets winter perils: hypothermia in tent cities like Al-Kuteiba Square, where 300 families huddle on 15 acres of dust. Displaced Gazans, many refugees from 1948, stream homeward, sifting through unexploded bombs—a hazard Trump's plan prioritizes with U.S. oversight. The "MBS Ring" tramway, named for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and artificial islands evoke Trump's flair for spectacle, but skeptics question funding amid global strains.
Politically, Trump's stance resonates with his base: no "reward" for October 7 atrocities, as he warned in March, urging hostage release sans concessions. Yet, it irks allies like al-Sisi, who sees statehood as the "last chance" for regional stability. On X, posts from @musthafaaa and @jahangir_sid amplified the quotes, igniting threads on equity.
As dusk fell over Washington, Trump's motorcade rolled past monuments symbolizing American resolve. The Gaza file, now Phase Two—"It started," he said vaguely—tests that resolve. With $53 billion at stake, 2.3 million lives in flux, and a two-state dream deferred, the rebuilding isn't just concrete and steel. It's the mortar binding—or fracturing—a region long fractured. For Trump, the dealmaker, it's the ultimate property flip: from war zone to wonder. But as history attests, Middle East peace is no simple renovation.
