As hostages and detainees were exchanged between Israel and Hamas in the early stages of a fragile ceasefire, President Donald Trump told lawmakers in Israel he had now brought an eighth war to an end. Speaking before the Knesset, he declared, “After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm. The guns are silent. The sirens are still. And the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace.” He added, “Yesterday I was saying seven, but now I can say eight.”
However, the situation on the ground tells a less conclusive story, according to an Associated Press fact check. The truce between Israel and Hamas marks only the beginning of what may be a long and precarious negotiation process, it reported.
The initial arrangement includes releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza and freeing hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel, alongside increased aid deliveries and a limited withdrawal by Israeli forces from major urban areas. Trump acknowledged the tentative nature of the deal, saying world leaders have taken “first steps to peace.” Even so, many central issues -- like disarming Hamas, rebuilding Gaza, establishing governance, and setting terms for Israeli withdrawal -- still need to be addressed. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said he and Jared Kushner were “already working” on implementing the plan.
Following his Israel visit, Trump attended a “Summit of Peace” in Egypt with other leaders, where a document was signed that he said would “spell out a lot of rules and regulations and lots of other things, and it’s very comprehensive,” though no full details have emerged yet. There is no guarantee negotiations will stay on track.
Trump also points to the brief conflict between Iran and Israel earlier this year as one he helped stop. In June, Israel hit key Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. Trump ordered U.S. airstrikes against those same nuclear sites before brokering a ceasefire. Evelyn Farkas of the McCain Institute said Trump deserves recognition for stepping in. “There’s always a chance it could flare up again if Iran restarts its nuclear weapons program,” she said, but noted it had been “a hot war.” Lawrence Haas of the American Foreign Policy Council agreed the U.S. role mattered but called the ceasefire a “temporary respite” in a long-running “cold war.”
In Africa, Trump has claimed he helped secure calm over the dispute involving the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River. Ethiopia’s massive hydroelectric project angered Egypt and Sudan, who fear consequences for their water and security. Though Trump once said online that “there is peace at least for now,” the dispute is still unresolved and talks have stalled. Haas said, “It would be a gross overstatement to say that these countries are at war.”
In South Asia, following deadly violence in Indian-controlled Kashmir after tourists were killed, India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire. Pakistan publicly praised Trump, even recommending him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has said he helped mediate by offering trade incentives. India, on the other hand, has denied having any trade discussions linked to the ceasefire. Despite the disagreement over who deserves credit, both Farkas and Haas say the U.S. likely played a “constructive” role, though Farkas noted, “I’m not sure whether you would define that as a full-blown war.”
The Trump administration also lists Serbia and Kosovo among its diplomatic achievements. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and although tensions have lingered, they have not escalated into war during Trump’s second term. While he did help negotiate agreements during his first term, much of that agenda has not been carried out. NATO-led peacekeepers remain key in maintaining stability, not Washington alone.
In central Africa, Trump has been involved in attempts to bring peace to eastern Congo, where over 100 armed groups operate. Rwanda supports the M23 rebel group, while Congo accuses M23 of destabilizing the region. In June, Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers signed a U.S.-facilitated peace agreement. But M23, which was not included in those talks, rejected the deal. A separate Qatar-led process was expected to finalize a ceasefire, but talks broke down and fighting continues.
He also hosted talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House in August. Leaders from both sides praised the results, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan calling the agreement “a significant milestone” and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev saying Trump performed “a miracle.” Yet, while a treaty draft was initialed, it has not been signed or ratified, and the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh remains unsettled despite steps toward normalization.
In Southeast Asia, officials from Thailand and Cambodia acknowledged that tensions along their shared border eased partly because of Trump’s intervention. After land mine explosions and cross-border shootings earlier this year, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim mediated talks that stalled until Trump warned both countries he would block trade deals without a ceasefire. Political analyst Ken Lohatepanont said Trump’s conditions “likely played a significant role in ensuring that both sides came to the negotiating table.”
Altogether, Trump’s statement that he has ended eight wars glosses over the reality that in many places violence continues, peace is fragile, or the conflicts never reached the level of a war. In several cases, U.S. involvement helped bring about temporary truces or diplomatic movement, but few of these situations can be considered resolved.
With inputs from AP
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