President Donald Trump has brokered a ceasefire with Israel and Hamas, a return of the hostages and a prisoner exchange on Oct. 9 that, if it holds, could be the start of a new era of peace in the region. And, make no mistake, Trump’s art of the deal took a lot of leverage.
Everyone who said not to use force were wrong.
Everyone who said bombing the nuclear facilities in Iran would lead to the end of the world were wrong.
Everyone who said not to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah were wrong.
These armies had to believe that it was either peace or their lives — or the hostages would never have been surrendered. Hamas had to choose life over death.
Make no mistake. If the hostages were not returned, President Trump was going to destroy Hamas.
Because he told them. On Oct. 3, President Trump declared Hamas’ destruction if they didn’t take the deal: “As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas “soldiers” have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, “GO,” for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed.”
The only other thing besides this deal that was waiting for them — and anyone who breaks it — was a crater. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good, because President Trump warned civilians to leave the area. Simply put, time was up: “I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help.”
Even at that late hour, however, there was still another way, the President wrote, alternatively offering mercy to those who would today embrace peace and end the war: “Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance! Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East. THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS! The details of the document are known to the WORLD, and it is a great one for ALL! We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop.”
But only if the hostages were released, and “one way or the other” they would be released: “RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The President used the credible threat of force — he had already shown what he would do when he destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22 — and it worked. Peace through strength works.
Life or death. And the parties of the ceasefire chose life.
President Trump presented his peace plan to the world, and to Israel and Hamas, on Sept. 29. Israel agreed to the peace plan, and now so has Hamas. Here are the terms of the President’s plan for peace in the Middle East, now to be implemented just ten days later:
“1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.
“2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
“3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
“4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
“5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
“6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
“7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
“8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.
“9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
“10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
“11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
“12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
“13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.
“14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.
“15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.
“16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.
“17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
“18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.
“19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
“20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.”
The White House also presented a map of the plan to show how Israel would withdraw from the Gaza Strip over time:
This was not easily negotiated but President Trump is showing the world that peace can be had, but only with order. The rule of law must be restored. Nations must recognize one another, and especially recognize Israel’s right to exist. There is no other way.
The President’s team from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff all the way down the line have used the President’s strength — and make no mistake, his willingness to use force — to their advantage.
The President had a plan and he put the right people to work on behalf of the United States to broker an end to this war and release the hostages.
Everyone who said not to talk to Qatar were wrong.
Everyone who said not to include Jared Kushner in the administration were wrong.
Everyone who said peace could not be done were not trying hard enough.
And now, finally, peace has a chance, because we have President Trump to do what no one else could. Thank you, President Trump. And good luck. There is still a lot to be done but we know you will never stop. These wars aren’t just going to end themselves.
Robert Romano is the Executive Director of Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
