Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal sparks cautious hope, deep skepticism

Global leaders gathered in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh this week to mark what could be the end of one of the darkest chapters in recent Middle Eastern history: the war on Gaza.

United States President Donald Trump, flanked by mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, presided over the signing ceremony, part peace summit, part political spectacle, as the battered Gaza Strip struggles to grasp what “rebuilding” really means after two years of devastation.

“A new and beautiful day is rising and now the rebuilding begins,” Trump said, promising that reconstruction would be “the easiest part” because, as he put it, “we know how to build better than anybody in the world.”

The optimism in his words stood in stark contrast to the reality on the ground. Israel’s two-year campaign left Gaza almost entirely uninhabitable, killing at least 67,869 people and reducing whole neighbourhoods to dust.

Human rights groups have called Israel’s actions genocide, a term the Trump administration continues to avoid, while Washington simultaneously positions itself as the chief architect of Gaza’s “new future.”

Trump’s plan centres on reconstruction but with conditions attached.

“Gaza’s reconstruction also requires that it be demilitarised,” he told the audience, hinting that any aid or rebuilding effort would hinge on Israeli security guarantees.

Later, in a rare gesture of unity, Trump joined the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey in releasing a joint statement calling for “tolerance, dignity, and equal opportunity for every person” in the region, language that struck a different tone from his usual rhetoric.

Still, the question of what comes next for Palestinians remains as unresolved as ever. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi praised Trump’s role in securing a ceasefire but reminded everyone that peace without justice is fleeting.

“Peace remains our strategic choice,” he said, “but it can only be established upon justice and equality in rights.”

That justice looks far off. Israel continues to reject the idea of a Palestinian state, while Washington, despite its renewed talk of peace, hasn’t offered a concrete political roadmap.

Adding to the unease, reports that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner could play roles in Gaza’s post-war governance have raised eyebrows across the region.