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Initially, the Israeli air strike on the Hamas militant negotiating team in Qatar appeared like another intensification that pushed the hope of a ceasefire further away.

This strike on September 9 breached the sovereignty of an US partner and risked expanding the hostilities into a region-wide war.

Negotiations appeared to be in ruins.

However, it proved to be a key moment that culminated in a agreement, declared by President Donald Trump, to free all remaining hostages.

This is a objective that Trump, and President Joe Biden before him, had pursued for nearly two years.

This marks just the first step towards a lasting resolution, and the details of Hamas disarmament, administering Gaza and complete Israeli pullout are still to be negotiated.

But if this deal stands, it could be Trump's signature achievement of his second term - one that escaped Joe Biden and his administration.

The president's unique style and crucial relationships with Israel and the Middle Eastern nations appear to have contributed in this success.

However, as with most foreign policy wins, there were also elements at play beyond the control of both leaders.

A Close Relationship Which Eluded Biden

Publicly, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are all smiles.

Trump often states that Israel has no better friend, and the Israeli leader has described him as Israel's "most supportive friend in the White House". Moreover these positive statements have been backed up by deeds.

During his first presidential term, Trump moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and abandoned a long-held US position that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are against international law, the position under global norms.

When the Israeli military began its air strikes against Iran in June, the US leader ordered US bombers to strike the nation's nuclear enrichment facilities with its most powerful conventional bombs.

Those visible shows of support may have allowed Trump the room to exert more influence on the Israeli government in private. As per sources, Trump's negotiator, his representative, browbeat Netanyahu in late 2024 into agreeing to a halt in fighting in exchange for the freeing of some hostages.

When Israel attacked against Syrian forces in the summer, including bombing a place of worship, the US president urged Netanyahu to alter tactics.

The leader displayed a degree of determination and pressure on an Israel's leader that is rarely seen, according to Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "There is no example of an American president directly instructing an Israeli prime minister that they must agree or else."

Biden's relationship with the Israeli administration was consistently more tenuous.

His administration's "bear hug strategy" held that the US had to embrace the nation openly in order to allow it to moderate the country's military actions in private.

Beneath this was the president's nearly half-century of backing for the state, as well as deep disagreements within his Democratic coalition over the conflict in Gaza. Every step Biden took risked dividing his own domestic support, while his successor's loyal conservative voters gave him more room to act.

In the end, domestic politics or individual ties may have had less importance than the simple fact that, during his term, the Israeli government was not ready to make peace.

Eight months into his new administration, with Iran chastened, the militant group to its immediate north greatly diminished and Gaza in ruins, all its major strategy objectives had been achieved.

Commercial Background Helped Secure Gulf's Backing

An Israeli strike in Doha, which resulted in the death of a local national but not the intended targets, led Trump to deliver an final demand to Netanyahu. Hostilities had to end.

Trump had given Israel a relatively free hand in Gaza. He provided US armed support to Israel's campaign in Iran. But an strike on Qatar soil was a separate issue completely, moving him towards the stance of Arab nations on how best to end the war.

A number of Trump officials have informed the press that this was a turning point which galvanised the president to apply full force to finalize an agreement.

The leader's close ties with the Gulf states are well documented. Trump has commercial interests with the emirate and the UAE. He began both his presidential terms with state visits to Saudi Arabia. This year, Trump also visited in Doha and Abu Dhabi.

The president's normalization agreements, which established ties between the Jewish state and a number of Arab nations, such as the UAE, was the biggest diplomatic achievement of his first term.

The time he spent in the capitals of the Gulf region in recent months helped shift his perspective, says Ed Husain of the Council on Foreign Relations. The US president did not visit Israel on this regional tour but went to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the state where the leader received consistent appeals to put a stop to the war.

Within weeks after that Israeli strike on Doha, Trump was present nearby as Netanyahu personally called the Qatari leadership to apologise. Subsequently, the prime minister signed off on the president's 20-point peace plan for the territory - one that additionally had the support of influential Arab states in the region.

Assuming Trump's alliance with his counterpart gave him the room to influence Israel to reach an agreement, his past with Arab rulers may have secured their support, and helped them convince Hamas to commit to the deal.

"A key factor that clearly happened was that President Trump gained influence with the Israeli government, and indirectly with the militants," notes Jon Alterman of the a research center.

"That made a difference. The capacity to do this on his timing, and avoid yielding to the demands of the warring sides has been a challenge that many earlier administrations have faced, and Trump seems to do relatively successfully."

The reality that Trump is far better liked in Israel than Netanyahu personally was leverage that Trump employed to his benefit, the expert continues.

Currently the Israeli government has agreed to releasing more than 1,000 Palestinians held in its jails and has agreed to a limited pullback from the strip.

Hamas will release all the captives still held, living and dead, captured in the initial October 7 Hamas attack, which resulted in the loss of over 1,200 Israeli citizens.

An end to the war, which has resulted in the destruction of the territory and the deaths of over 67,000 {Palestinians|Pal