Historic Ceasefire Takes Hold in Gaza: Trump Hails 'New Day' as Aid Flows and Hostages Return

 

WASHINGTON/SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – In a dramatic turn after more than two years of devastating conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the Gaza war "over" on Monday, October 13, 2025, as humanitarian aid surged into the besieged enclave and the final living Israeli hostages were released in a landmark prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas. Speaking at a high-stakes international summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump hailed the breakthrough as a "historic dawn" for the Middle East, crediting Arab mediators and global partners for forging a path to peace amid the rubble of one of the 21st century's most destructive wars.

The developments marked the culmination of intense U.S.-led diplomacy, building on Trump's September 2025 peace proposal that demanded Hamas's demilitarization and transitional governance in Gaza. With the ceasefire holding for its fourth day since taking effect on Friday, October 10, trucks laden with food, medicine, and shelter materials began crossing into Gaza at unprecedented volumes—up to 600 per day, according to Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The United Nations described the influx as "real progress," with cooking oil entering the territory for the first time since March 2025 and hundreds of thousands of hot meals distributed across northern and southern Gaza. Yet, even as relief efforts accelerated, the scale of destruction loomed large: Israeli strikes since October 7, 2023, have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians—predominantly women and children—leaving Gaza's 2.1 million residents facing famine, disease, and an estimated 50 million tons of debris that could take decades to clear.

Trump's address to the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, co-chaired with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, unfolded against a backdrop of cautious optimism. Flanked by leaders from Qatar, Turkey, and over 20 other nations—including the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas but notably absent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—the U.S. president signed a comprehensive agreement outlining ceasefire implementation, reconstruction timelines, and security guarantees. "Humanitarian aid is now pouring in, including hundreds of truckloads of food, medical equipment, and other supplies, much of it paid for by people in this room," Trump said, gesturing to the assembled dignitaries. "Civilians are returning to their homes. The hostages are reuniting."

"A new and beautiful day is rising, and now the rebuilding begins," he continued. "Rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part. I think we've done a lot of the hardest part, because the rest comes together. We all know how to rebuild, and we know how to build better than anybody in the world." Trump's remarks echoed his earlier speech to Israel's Knesset in Jerusalem, where he received a standing ovation and described the deal as ending a "long nightmare" for both Israelis and Palestinians. There, he met with families of the released hostages, praising their resilience and vowing U.S. support for Israel's security.

The centerpiece of the day's events was the prisoner-hostage exchange, executed in phases throughout Monday under Red Cross supervision. Hamas released all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages—captured during the group's October 7, 2023, assault that killed about 1,200 people and triggered the war—in batches transferred via Egypt's Rafah crossing. Among them were individuals like Yosef-Chaim Ohana, a young musician who reunited with his family in Tel Aviv, flashing a weary smile as he stepped off a helicopter. "He looks amazing... standing on his own two feet," his parents told reporters, their voices choked with emotion. In return, Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 250 serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis and 1,700 others held without charge as "unlawful combatants" since the war's outset. Buses ferried the released Palestinians to Khan Younis and Ramallah, where crowds erupted in cheers, with some detainees waving V-for-victory signs from windows despite visible signs of malnutrition and beatings.

Hamas's military wing also handed over the bodies of four deceased captives, part of efforts to locate remains of the estimated 35 hostages killed in captivity or during the initial attack—bringing the total repatriated to 58, including those lost to friendly fire. Upon arriving at the summit, Trump addressed the grim task ahead: "Efforts are underway to locate the bodies of the hostages who died in captivity... They know where numerous are, you know, I guess five or six are in yet now. They're looking for bodies. They know the areas and the search parties out, and they're doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they're going to be finding quite a few of them."

The swap's success hinged on months of backchannel negotiations, revived after a fragile January 2025 ceasefire collapsed in March amid mutual accusations of violations. That earlier truce saw 33 hostages freed in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian releases, but Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket fire reignited hostilities, exacerbating Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe. This time, Trump's "20-point Gaza peace plan"—unveiled in late September—provided the blueprint, insisting on Hamas's full disarmament and exclusion from governance. Though Hamas balked at full demilitarization, it conceded to handing administrative control to "independent Palestinian technocrats" under international oversight, a compromise brokered by Qatar and Egypt.

Trump expressed "tremendous gratitude to the Arab and Muslim nations who helped make this incredible breakthrough possible," spotlighting Egypt's el-Sisi, Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Their roles were pivotal: Egypt facilitated the hostage handovers, while Qatar leveraged its financial ties to Hamas to enforce compliance. The summit document, a 50-page accord signed amid applause, commits $53 billion from the Arab League for reconstruction—covering water systems, hospitals, and schools—while mandating Gaza's demilitarization and the creation of a "new, honest civilian police force" to maintain security. "We're also agreed that Gaza's reconstruction requires that it be demilitarized and that a new honest civilian police force [be created] to create a safe condition for the people in Gaza," Trump emphasized.

On the ground in Gaza, the ceasefire's early fruits were tangible but tempered by ruin. Displaced families streamed north along Al-Rashid Road, returning to Gaza City only to confront collapsed buildings and unexploded ordnance. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that, between October 10 and 13, partners distributed 885,000 meals via 167 community kitchens, with flour, tents, frozen meat, and fresh fruit crossing borders for the first time in months. Egypt alone dispatched 400 trucks on Sunday, October 12, easing a blockade that had plunged parts of the enclave into famine since March 2025. Yet, OCHA warned that only 35% of daily food needs—2,000 metric tons—had entered Gaza in recent weeks prior to the truce, leaving 1.8 million people in "extremely critical" hunger.

The war's toll defies comprehension. Gaza's Health Ministry, corroborated by UN and WHO data, tallies 67,800 Palestinian deaths since October 2023—over 40% children, with thousands more missing under rubble. Infrastructure damage exceeds $18.5 billion, with 70% of croplands destroyed, 745,000 students out of school for two years, and 735 attacks on healthcare facilities killing 917. Satellite imagery reveals entire neighborhoods in Gaza City and Khan Younis reduced to dust, with 1.9 million displaced at peak. Aid groups like the World Food Programme note that one-third of Gazans skipped meals for days as of July 2025, with 320,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition.

Reconstruction poses Herculean challenges. UN estimates suggest 16 to 80 years to restore pre-war GDP, contingent on clearing 50 million tons of debris—a 20-year endeavor alone. Israel's "dual-use" restrictions on materials like cement and rebar, intended to prevent weaponization, have historically slowed efforts; the new accord pledges their easing under UN monitoring. Funding gaps persist: Only 24% of the UN's $4 billion 2025 Flash Appeal—$985 million—has been disbursed, despite needs for three million people. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-Israeli alternative to UNRWA that distributed food via guarded sites earlier this year, is being dismantled post-ceasefire, its chaotic operations blamed for scores of deaths in crowd incidents.

Governance remains the thorniest issue. The deal envisions a technocratic administration transitioning to Palestinian Authority control, backed by an international stabilization force—potentially including U.S., Egyptian, and NATO troops—to enforce demilitarization and prevent Hamas resurgence. Hamas has agreed to step back from direct rule but retains indirect influence, a red line for Israel. Netanyahu's absence from Sharm el-Sheikh underscored tensions; his government insists on destroying all Hamas tunnels and vows no full withdrawal until security milestones are met. Critics, including far-right Israeli ministers, decry the prisoner releases as endangering civilians, while Palestinian factions worry about sidelining legitimate resistance.

Regionally, the truce ripples outward. Iran's proxy network, strained by the war's costs, faces isolation as Saudi Arabia and the UAE signal normalization with Israel if Palestinian statehood advances. On X (formerly Twitter), reactions poured in: U.S. conservatives hailed Trump's "peace through strength," with one user posting, "Unlike prior admins, Trump leveraged pressure on Qatar to cut Hamas's cash—historic win!" Palestinian voices celebrated releases but demanded justice: "Aid is vital, but without accountability for 67,000 dead, this is no peace," tweeted a Khan Younis resident.

As night fell over Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump departed for Washington, leaving mediators to monitor compliance. The summit pledged $9 million in emergency fuel from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to sustain hospitals and bakeries. For Gazans like 12-year-old Aisha, who lost her home in Deir al-Balah, the trucks' rumble offered fleeting hope amid the silence of shattered streets. "We eat today," she told reporters, clutching a flour sack. "But tomorrow? Who rebuilds our tomorrow?"

The path forward is fraught—demilitarization untested, reconstruction underfunded, and trust fractured. Yet, in a region scarred by cycles of violence, Monday's exchanges evoked rare unity: families reunited, aid flowing, leaders signing. Whether this "beautiful day" endures depends on enforcing the accord's promises, from rubble removal to a demilitarized horizon. As Trump put it, "The skies are calm, the guns are silent... the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace." For now, that peace hangs by the thinnest of threads, woven from compromise and guarded by the world's watchful eyes.