Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – In a moment of profound international significance, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hailed the newly achieved ceasefire in Gaza as a lifeline that has "saved millions of lives" across the Middle East, while renewing his country's nomination of U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking at the inaugural Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit, co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Sharif's remarks underscored the fragile yet hopeful dawn of regional stability following two years of devastating conflict.
The summit, attended by leaders from over 20 nations including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and representatives from the European Union, marked a pivotal gathering to solidify the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Banners proclaiming "City of Peace" adorned the Red Sea resort's conference center, evoking Egypt's storied role in past accords, such as the 2005 summit that quelled the second intifada. Al-Sisi, in his opening address, described the agreement as closing "a painful chapter in human history and opening a new era of peace and stability." Trump, fresh from a triumphal address to Israel's Knesset earlier that morning, signed a ceremonial document affirming the deal alongside key mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, declaring it a "strong, durable, and everlasting peace."
Sharif's intervention came as an impromptu highlight, invited onstage by Trump during his keynote. "Today, here in Sharm el-Sheikh, we have achieved peace in Gaza and saved millions of lives in the Middle East," Sharif said, his voice steady amid applause from the assembled dignitaries. He extended gratitude to Trump, Erdogan, bin Salman, and al-Sisi for their "valuable" diplomacy, crediting their collective pressure on Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt hostilities that had claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives and displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population of Gaza. The Pakistani leader, whose nation has long advocated for Palestinian statehood, emphasized the humanitarian toll: "This ceasefire is not just a pause; it is a salvation for families torn apart, for children who have known only rubble and ration lines."
Sharif then pivoted to South Asia, reigniting Pakistan's earlier nomination of Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. "Pakistan had nominated President Donald Trump for his outstanding and extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire, along with his very wonderful team," he stated, drawing nods from the U.S. delegation. He added, "And today again, I would like to nominate this great president... because he has not only brought peace in South Asia, saved millions of people, their lives, but today achieved peace in Gaza." The endorsement echoed Pakistan's June announcement praising Trump's "decisive intervention" in the May 2025 India-Pakistan crisis, a four-day clash that risked nuclear escalation. While India has disputed U.S. mediation—insisting the truce was bilateral via military hotlines—Sharif's words framed Trump as a global peacemaker, a narrative the U.S. president has eagerly embraced in his Truth Social posts.
The Gaza ceasefire's roots trace to Trump's ambitious 20-point plan unveiled on September 29, 2025, during a White House meeting with Netanyahu. The framework demanded an immediate halt to fighting, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Trump set a stark deadline for Hamas: accept by October 5 or face "all hell." After tense indirect talks in Cairo and Doha, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, both sides inked the first phase on October 9. It took effect Friday, October 10, with Israeli forces pulling back to a buffer line along Gaza's northern edge, allowing initial aid convoys—carrying 500 trucks of food, medicine, and fuel—to enter via Rafah.
The human exchange, a cornerstone of the deal, unfolded dramatically on Monday morning. Hamas, fulfilling its commitment, transferred all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages—abducted during the October 7, 2023, attacks—to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in central Gaza. The group included civilians like 19-year-old Edan Alexander, a U.S.-Israeli dual national and the last American captive, as well as families such as the Bermans: mother Gali, 26, and son Ziv, 4, who had spent over 700 days in underground tunnels. Israeli media broadcast scenes of helicopters ferrying the freed captives to Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, where crowds erupted in cheers and tears. Einav Zangauker, mother of released hostage Matan Zangauker, spoke via phone en route: "Matan, my love, you're coming home." The IDF confirmed all arrivals by midday, noting most were in "reasonable condition" despite reported weight loss and trauma—averaging 17-33 pounds shed during captivity.
In reciprocity, Israel began releasing over 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and hundreds detained post-October 7 without charge. Buses ferried the first waves to Ramallah in the West Bank, where families waved Palestinian flags amid chants of joy. Yasser Abu Azzoum, awaiting his son Mohammed's return after two years, described the moment as "indescribable... overwhelmed with joy." Among the freed were women, children, and elderly detainees, many from Gaza's 2023 arrests. Human rights groups like Amnesty International welcomed the swaps but urged scrutiny of Israel's administrative detention practices, which hold thousands without trial.
Phase two, slated for negotiation at the summit, envisions a multinational force—potentially led by the U.S. and EU—establishing interim governance in Gaza, alongside Hamas's disarmament. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas expressed eagerness for a "great role" in this transitional authority, emphasizing reconstruction costs estimated at $53 billion by the World Bank. Trump, in his summit remarks, quipped, "Rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part—we know how to build better than anybody." Yet challenges loom: Hamas has deployed fighters to secure aid routes, signaling reluctance to fully disband, while Netanyahu's absence from Sharm el-Sheikh—opting instead for domestic briefings—hints at Israeli reservations over troop withdrawals. Iran, invited but absent, dismissed the talks as "one-sided."
Sharif's Nobel pitch for Trump builds on a narrative of U.S. brokerage in multiple hotspots. Pakistan's initial nomination stemmed from the May 2025 de-escalation between Islamabad and New Delhi, triggered by a Kashmir terror attack killing 26 Indian civilians. India launched "Operation Sindoor," striking alleged militant camps in Pakistan, prompting retaliatory missile barrages that lit up skies over Jammu and Lahore. Over four days, at least 70 perished, including soldiers and children, raising global alarms of nuclear brinkmanship—the first such crisis since 2019's Pulwama-Balakot skirmish. Trump announced the May 10 ceasefire on Truth Social, crediting "a long night of talks mediated by Washington." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance engaged both sides, averting wider war, though India maintains direct DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) channels sealed the deal.
This pattern—U.S. pressure yielding truces—mirrors Trump's Gaza push. Post-inauguration in January 2025, he inherited a stalled Biden-era deal, vowing to "take" Gaza for redevelopment into the "Riviera of the Middle East." A brief February truce collapsed in March amid Israeli strikes, but September's ultimatum, backed by Arab allies, forced compliance. Argentine President Javier Milei and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joined Sharif in Nobel buzz, with Carney praising the "efforts of Trump, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey."
Beyond accolades, the summit grappled with Gaza's scars. Over 80% of buildings lie in ruins, per UN estimates, with famine stalking the north despite aid surges. Al-Sisi awarded Trump Egypt's highest civilian honor, while Erdogan called for "guarantees against relapse." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in attendance, urged inclusive governance excluding Hamas, a stance echoed by France and Spain's leaders.
As delegates dispersed into bilateral huddles, optimism tempered caution. "This is a victory for diplomacy over despair," Sharif concluded, invoking Pakistan's own ceasefire dividends: stabilized borders, resumed trade flights, and a unified domestic front. Yet analysts warn of spoilers—Hamas hardliners, Israeli settlers eyeing annexations, or Iranian proxies in Yemen and Lebanon. The Nobel committee, receiving Pakistan's formal dossier by December, may weigh these risks against Trump's tangible yields: 20 families reunited, 1,700 detainees freed, and a war-weary region inhaling its first unbombed breath in years.
In Sharm el-Sheikh's balmy twilight, as fireworks lit the horizon—a rarity unmarred by sirens—the summit symbolized not endpoint, but embarkation. For Sharif, Trump, and millions beyond, it was proof that even entrenched hatreds yield to persistent peacemaking. Whether this holds into 2026, or beyond a Nobel ballot, remains the Middle East's perennial question.
