Former US President Donald Trump has been formally nominated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in a startling and symbolic gesture. The nomination comes amid growing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, where violence and humanitarian suffering have reached catastrophic levels. The gesture is drawing both praise and outrage, as the region continues to await tangible peace on the ground.
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize as Gazans await ceasefire July 2025
A High-Profile Nomination Amid War
During a private dinner at the White House on July 7, 2025, Netanyahu personally handed Donald Trump a letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, formally recommending him for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Israeli leader said that Trump had “forged peace as we speak, one country and one region after the other,” and he praised his Middle East diplomatic background.
This nomination is largely based on Trump’s role in brokering the Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab nations: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Netanyahu also credited Trump with efforts in negotiating a tentative ceasefire framework between Israel and Iran earlier in 2025, along with his involvement in the ongoing talks to end the war in Gaza.
Trump, visibly moved by the recognition, responded warmly:
“Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” he told Netanyahu.
This isn’t the first time Trump’s name has been floated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but Netanyahu’s nomination gives it a fresh political and symbolic charge in the middle of one of the region’s bloodiest conflicts in recent history.
The Gaza Crisis: A Grim Backdrop
While the nomination has sparked headlines, the backdrop is anything but celebratory.At a startling rate, the humanitarian situation in Gaza keeps becoming worse.
- Over 57,500 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023.
- Thousands more have been displaced, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble.
- Basic necessities like water, electricity, and medical supplies are either unavailable or severely limited.
- The UN and several aid agencies have warned of impending famine and disease outbreaks if fighting continues without pause.
Despite international efforts to broker peace, a lasting ceasefire has proven elusive. Recently, President Trump announced that Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal drafted in coordination with Qatar and Egypt. However, Hamas has yet to formally accept the deal, citing concerns about the release of Palestinian prisoners, border access, and the timeline for Israeli troop withdrawal.
As a result, while Trump’s supporters hail him as a peacemaker, many observers point out that no actual peace has yet been achieved—a critical point of contention for those skeptical of the Nobel nomination.
What’s in the Ceasefire Deal?
Diplomatic reports state that the planned ceasefire agreement consists of the following:
- A phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza territories.
- A hostage-prisoner exchange facilitated by international observers.
- Temporary humanitarian corridors for the delivery of aid.
- A monitoring mechanism involving the United Nations and regional actors.
- A commitment to resume long-term political negotiations between Israel and Palestinian representatives after the truce period.
While Israel has publicly endorsed the framework, Hamas remains under pressure from both domestic supporters and external allies like Iran to reject what they view as a “partial and vague” agreement.
Mixed Global Reaction to the Nomination
The worldwide community has responded sharply to the Nobel nomination. Trump’s allies, including Israeli officials and certain Republican lawmakers in the U.S., argue that his unorthodox diplomatic style has produced results that others have failed to achieve.
The nomination was recently supported by Republican Representative Buddy Carter, who cited Trump’s potential to bring “unprecedented pressure and results in the Middle East.” The nomination was hailed by a number of Israeli authorities as a “moral recognition of strong leadership in troubled times,” echoing this attitude.
However, critics view the nomination as premature, if not cynical. Human rights groups have pointed to Trump’s past decisions to cut U.S. aid to Palestinians, recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and support Israeli settlement expansions as evidence that his policies were decidedly one-sided.
Furthermore, a few of Trump’s former Nobel laureates have turned against him. A Pakistani parliamentarian, who initially supported Trump for his role in easing India-Pakistan tensions, withdrew the nomination following U.S. strikes on Iranian military facilities earlier this year. Similarly, a Ukrainian lawmaker withdrew his support, pointing to Trump’s conflicted views on Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
Politics and the Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize has historically courted controversy. From Henry Kissinger to Barack Obama, recipients have been both lauded and criticized based on evolving geopolitical outcomes. If Trump were to win, it would not only cement his legacy as a peacemaker in the eyes of his supporters, but also serve as a political weapon in the upcoming 2026 U.S. elections.
Yet, as the war in Gaza rages on, many argue that true peace requires more than diplomatic gestures and photo ops—it demands actual change on the ground. For civilians trapped in Gaza, Nobel nominations mean little compared to the need for food, safety, and the end of airstrikes.
Conclusion: Symbolism vs. Substance
In the midst of one of the most turbulent times in recent memory, Netanyahu’s nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is both a symbolic gesture and a calculated endorsement. Whether Trump wins the honour or not is still up in the air. But until bombs stop falling and people stop dying, peace remains an ideal—not a reality—for the people of Gaza.
