President-elect Donald Trump’s strong stance on reaching a resolution in the Middle East has finally given way to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, despite the hopelessness that loomed over the Israel-Hamas war spanning the last 15 months. This week has marked the first notable pause in fighting since Dec. 1, 2023, and it is no coincidence that the ceasefire, just approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet, is expected to begin around Trump’s inauguration.

Trump’s peace-through-strength foreign policy approach has proven to be effective in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges plaguing the war in Gaza. He wasted no time following his election victory as he dispatched his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, in December 2024 to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to support Biden’s foreign policy team in the negotiation process. Since Witkoff’s second visit to Doha last week, Trump has demonstrated he will follow through on his commitment to resolving the chaos in the Middle East.