It’s Calm Now in the Middle East? Hundreds Are Still Dying in Gaza.

Trump must make it clear: The era of broken agreements, delays, and rhetorical games is over. Israel can recover its hostages, but Palestinians must be assured this will happen in the context of a broader agreement that ends the war and pulls Israeli forces out of Gaza.

The world is weary of this one-sided narrative, framed endlessly by Israel, that its army’s goal is simply a matter of “self-defense,” while Palestinian civilians remain defenseless. Israeli leaders, soldiers, and officers must understand that war crimes against civilians are not acceptable. Without accountability and deterrence, Israel’s military machine will continue to operate with impunity.

What Israel and the U.S. did to Iran was a violation of international law. So is what Israel is doing in Gaza and the West Bank—with Washington and other capitals complicit in violations of the Geneva Conventions. The laws of war clearly prohibit targeting civilians, journalists, medical personnel, and critical infrastructure. Yet Israel has barred international journalists from entering Gaza since October 7 and has killed more than 200 Palestinian journalists. This censorship is not just repression; it is fear. Fear that Israeli war crimes will be exposed.

Families of Israeli hostages are right about one thing: Only President Trump has the leverage to end this senseless, vengeful war. If he could orchestrate a ceasefire with Iran, why can’t he do the same in Gaza?

For Trump, Netanyahu, and a few other leaders, the nuclear weapons issue is much more important than Palestinian suffering and a genuine peace in the Middle East.

But if the U.S. president really wants to be a peacemaker, there’s no better way than ending the senseless revenge war and working on bringing a genuine peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. As he did in pressing for the current ceasefire, President Trump needs to continue his efforts by pressuring the Israelis to end the war on Gaza and bring about a free state of Palestine next to a safe state of Israel.