Trump, like any U.S. President, has leverage if he is willing to use it. American weapons— $18 billion in military aid in the form of scarce U.S. missile defense assets and American personnel in Israel to operate them, plus diplomatic cover at the U.N. —have enabled the war thus far.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians returned to the northern Gaza Strip this week after checkpoints were reopened in line with the ceasefire agreement. Many will have found their homes destroyed after months of heavy fighting and bombardment – something the new US president, Donald Trump, has pointed out.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his trip to the Middle East that rebuilding Gaza could take between 10 and 15 years. Why it matters: The Trump administration wants to see the ceasefire continue and Gaza stabilized so it can move forward with its ambitious plans for the Middle East,