Hamas conducted a fatal attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 on Oct. 7, 2023. In response, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip and has since been committing a genocide against the Palestinian people, with the official death toll at 67,000.
Hamas still holds 47 hostages, with 20 still believed to be alive. On Oct. 9 of this year, Phase One of the new ceasefire deal went into effect largely due to President Donald Trump brokering the deal. Because of his influence as U.S. president, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, asking them to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.
The suggestion for Trump to win a Nobel Peace Prize is absurd. The winner of the award was announced on Oct. 10, four days after the families sent the letter. The deadline to be nominated for the prize was on Feb. 1 — eight months before the letter was sent. It was too late for Trump to even be considered for a nomination.
Furthermore, it is incredibly out of touch for Trump to be nominated for a prize representative of peace when he has done everything but create peace between Israel and Hamas up until this ceasefire. Trump continuing to send military aid to Israel and making plans for the future displacement of Palestinians makes that very clear. Furthermore, the unclear boundaries of the deal and hesitance from both parties do not fully guarantee peace between the countries.
In the ceasefire deal, Trump negotiated the start of the ceasefire with a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to hand over hostages to Israel. In return, Israel will release hostages from Gaza. Israeli troops will begin positioning themselves along the line of agreement, leaving Israel in control of 53% of the Gaza Strip.
During later phases of the ceasefire, Israel will need to further demilitarize the strip, which the country has pushed back on. Trump’s ceasefire plan — which is why some advocated for him to win a Nobel Peace Prize — is not set in stone or guaranteed to succeed since Israel and Hamas are still not in total agreement about the deal. Until full peace is restored in the region, Trump should not even be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize.
The Trump Administration in March signed off on sending an additional $4 billion in military aid to Israel in March. This followed a previous authorization of $7 billion in military aid sent to Israel in February of 2025.
Trump’s hesitance to stop funding Israel’s military offensive against Palestinians after being elected to office reveals he is not prioritizing peace. This action does not reflect the values which the Nobel Peace Prize aims to celebrate: doing the “best work for fraternity between nations.”
Additionally, Trump has also previously created a plan that would transform the Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” with plans to temporarily relocate Palestinians from the strip — voluntarily — to build a tourism resort and “high-tech manufacturing and technology hub.” Trump has made it clear that he never intends for Gaza to become an independent state, separate from Israel. Trump only ever considered bringing peace to the region to further U.S. financial interests. Trump’s priorities are not aligning with what the award celebrates, which is peace to nations, since he fully intends to further displace Palestinians.
Ultimately, the Nobel Peace Prize is given to people whose actions encourage peace among people globally and fight for human rights. It is a symbol that a deserving person has worked hard to bring positive change around the world.
Trump’s intentions with the Gaza Strip do not reflect the goal of “promotion for peace.” Opposingly, Trump continues to fund Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinian people and make public plans to further displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip postwar, making it obvious that he is not trying to foster peace. Trump should not win an award for his actions regarding the Israel-Palestine war, when he has only started advocating for peace with this recent ceasefire deal.
