War halts in Gaza, but for how long? 

October 16, 2025

Abhishek Vij

The two-year-long horrific war between Israel and Hamas has ended. Hamas handed over to Israel the remaining twenty Israeli hostages, whose release sparked a deadly massacre in the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel released over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Food and aid supplies have now been allowed to be delivered to Gaza, now in ruins due to famine and devastation. US President Donald Trump, who has become a messenger of peace after arriving in Israel, declared the war over. Trump led this campaign alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Peace was declared in Gaza with Trump’s signature on the Gaza Peace Agreement in the presence of heads of more than 20 countries. Trump showed reporters the last page of the agreement, which read, “Every person should have dignity, peace, and equal opportunities.” Trump said that this has opened the door to lasting peace in West Asia. Whether the door is open now or not is something only the future will tell. It’s being said that the bitterness between the two sides is so intense that the Palestinians were forced to agree to a ceasefire to secure the release of over 1,900 of their citizens from Israeli captivity. But lasting peace in this corner of the world seems far-fetched. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the day historic and announced Israel’s highest civilian honor for the US President.

President Trump again praised himself, saying that he has stopped eight wars so far, and that his most powerful weapon is raising tariffs. He reiterated that he even stopped the war between India and Pakistan with the threat of tariffs. “This is a strange, different world, in which terrible wars are fought, millions of people are killed, and settlements are left in ruins. Only after everything is destroyed do we think about peace.” Whether it’s the war between Russia and Ukraine or the US tariff attack on China, the root of it all lies in the desire to seize valuable minerals. Wars are waged to increase trade, and trade power is the only means to prevent them.

Even now, Donald Trump claims that he will establish world peace through trade power. Whether this peace will be achieved or not, even Israel itself seems unsure. Ordinary citizens there are saying they don’t trust Hamas. Hamas’s intentions have always been dangerous, and the agreement is temporary. What has been the outcome of all this effort? Gaza has suffered devastation equivalent to 13 nuclear bombs. It will take 15 years to clear the debris.

A new UN report has come out, warning that the entire Gaza Strip is now uninhabitable. Consider the possibility of repopulation and reconstruction a distant dream. Now, as the count begins, it has been discovered that 152,000 people have died in this devastation, of which 108,000 have been confirmed. It is reported that more than 43,000 people are either buried under the rubble or missing. What a terrible devastation this is. As ordinary people, we pray that peace in the Gaza Strip, or between Israel and Hamas, becomes permanent so that the people of that region can breathe freely.