The Middle East: Peace at last? A Christian perspective

Tim Farron  |  Comment
Date posted:  17 Oct 2025
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The Middle East: Peace at last? A Christian perspective

The return of Israeli hostages that were held in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Last week there was jubilation and relief as the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages were released from Gaza. In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and a further 1,700 detainees. This is hopefully a first tentative step towards building a peace process in the Middle East.

Of course there are many issues still to be resolved – for example, how Gaza might be governed and what the proposed multinational "stabilisation force" might look like.

But there is finally a glimmer of hope for ending the war that has torn Gaza apart since Hamas’s terrible massacre and kidnap of Israelis on 7 October 2023. And, credit where it’s due, much of this seems to be down to the tenacity and sheer self-confidence of Donald Trump.

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