Mideast deal done? Trump takes a victory lap as Gaza peace hangs by a thread.

The number of days the last 20 surviving hostages spent in captivity before their release on 13 October, as part of the US President Donald Trump-brokered 20-point Gaza peace deal between Israel and Hamas.

In exchange, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, withdrew from certain parts of the war-ravaged city, and agreed to facilitate the arrival of much-needed humanitarian aid to the enclave’s starving population.

Hamas had also promised to return the bodies of the dead hostages, but has managed to hand over only nine out of 28 since Monday.

The delay risks reigniting tensions, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening to limit promised aid supplies to Gaza.

However, two senior Trump advisers said plans were underway to demilitarize the strip and establish a new transitional government.

Meanwhile, Trump arrived in the Jewish nation just in time to declare that the “long and painful nightmare" was finally over for both Israelis and Palestinians. He received a warm welcome—unlike his predecessor, Joe Biden, who visited in October 2023.

Addressing Israeli parliamentarians, Trump said the ceasefire marked “a very exciting time for Israel and the Middle East" and that Israel had achieved all it could “by force of arms". It was time, he added, to transform those efforts into peace and prosperity.

At the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, Trump took a figurative victory lap, boasting that the hastily convened summit of Arab and European leaders had brought together representatives from almost three dozen countries. “These people all came in on 20 minutes’ notice," Trump later told reporters. (Ultimate power flex, is it?)

During a photo session with each of the leaders, Trump posed enthusiastically with a thumbs-up sign, occasionally encouraging other dignitaries to do the same. The stage on which they stood was appropriately adorned with the words PEACE 2025.

There’s no doubt the region deserves peace after two years of painful turmoil. There have been losses on both sides—approximately 1,200 Israelis and more than 67,000 Palestinians. But will the region be able to bury this torturous period in history and move on?

Some scars run deep. More importantly, there are growing fears that Netanyahu may now turn his attention to what he considers unfinished business—Iran.

Trump reportedly asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, who has been accused of corruption. Will that happen? And if it does, will Netanyahu be content knowing Israel is now the top military power in the region—or will he take the fight to the Islamic Republic?

Too many variables here to predict how things will pan out.

The other side of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit

The summit was called to underwrite peace in the Middle East, but, as he often does, Trump made it about himself—creating plenty of meme-worthy moments. For starters, there was his praise for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In the middle of his onstage remarks thanking leaders for attending, he introduced Meloni as a “beautiful young woman".

And, of course, he had to give it his signature touch—make it annoyingly awkward.

“If you use the word ‘beautiful’ in the US about a woman, that’s the end of your political career. But I’ll take my chances," he said. Then, looking around for Meloni, who was standing behind him, he added: “You don’t mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are."

Keep in mind, Meloni was the only woman among the roughly 30 world leaders gathered there.

And then, out of nowhere, he trained his guns on Norway. “What happened, Norway? What happened? Where’s Norway?" he asked, scanning the crowd before spotting the Norwegian representative in front.

Passive aggression toward Norwegian authorities for overlooking the peace dealmaker in this year’s Nobel race?

Next, he elevated Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to the position of “President". Hang on—it only gets more condescending. When Carney sarcastically thanked him, saying, “I’m glad you upgraded me," Trump’s riposte was, “Oh, did I? At least I didn’t say governor."

Recall: he had once labelled Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, the “governor" of the “Great State of Canada", repeatedly calling the country the “51st US state".

And then came another in-your-face jibe: “I know a lot of people don’t agree with me, but I am the only one that matters."

Indeed, the truest word on the state of the world today.

Pakistan and Taliban: Allies turn foes

There's another opportunity for Trump to stake a claim to the Nobel Peace Prize.

After Pakistan targeted Kabul and Paktika province last week, there was another exchange between Pakistani forces and Taliban in Kandahar—a significant escalation of hostilities between the former allies. The two have agreed to a ceasefire, but there’s no telling if it will last.

Remember, Pakistan was the main backer of the Taliban when the ragtag group emerged from Kandahar in 1994. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were the three countries that recognized the Taliban government in Kabul in 1996.

In 2001, when the group was ousted from Afghanistan, many Taliban leaders took shelter in the Pakistani cities of Quetta and Peshawar, where they regrouped in 2004 with support from Pakistan’s military spy agency, the ISI. In 2021, when the Taliban retook Kabul, then ISI chief Faiz Hameed was one of the first foreigners to land in Afghanistan, while most officials and nationals of many other countries were fleeing the nation.

The source of current tensions is Islamabad’s belief that Kabul hasn’t curbed the Pakistani Taliban group or the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Taliban government has denied this, but that hasn’t helped.

Pakistan is also not comfortable with the Taliban’s growing closeness to India. The Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, made an unusual six-day-long visit to India last week—the first ever by a Taliban leader. And India treated him as a state guest.

Another Trump-Putin summit in the works

Buoyed by his Israel-Hamas ceasefire success, Trump now appears to be refocusing his energy and attention on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. He has said he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary, though a date has yet to be set.

He spoke with his Russian counterpart on Thursday—a call he described as “very productive". It came ahead of a Friday meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to enable Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian territory, arguing that such capabilities would pressure Putin to take Trump’s calls for direct negotiations more seriously.

The last time Trump met Putin was in August, in Alaska. Hopes of a peace deal that flickered after that meeting quickly faded. What are the chances this time—anyone placing bets?

Elizabeth Roche is an associate professor at O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana.