'Not for Nobel Peace Prize': Trump says he ended Israel-Hamas war to save millions of lives

En route to Israel on Air Force One, US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire announcement he made on October 9 was done to save millions of lives. A day after, the Nobel Peace Prize was announced and was hopeful of being the recipient, though he wasn’t named and Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machadobagged the title. And three days later, Trump says he ended the ‘eighth war’ for the people and not the Nobel Prize. He said, “In all fairness to the Nobel Committee, it was for 2024. This (Nobel Peace Prize) was picked for 2024. But there are those who say you could make an exception because a lot of things happened during 2025 that are done and complete and great. But I did not do this for the Nobel. I did this for saving lives."

As Trump announced the end of yet another war, Israel’s cabinet also approved the Gaza peace deal after a discussion. But the initial announcement came from America. “We ended the war in Gaza and created peace,” Trump said. He also hopes for everlasting peace in the Middle East. Lauding his nation, he said “All Americans should be proud of the role our country has played in bringing this horrible war to an end.”

While talking about the peace deal, he mentioned the war between Israel and Hamas as the eighth war he ended and is now looking to end the one ongoing between Russia and Ukraine. Talking of the Middle East, Trump didn’t hesitate before saying, ‘the rich ones, the less than rich ones, they are all coming together’. He was elated to announce how the Middle East has come together to end the war in Gaza. Trump will be visiting Egypt for the ‘official signing’.

On Monday (Oct 13), the hostage exchange has begun and the two sides are swapping people held captive. From prisoners to security detainees, this hostage deal also had about 1,700, who were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.