How a missile strike unlocked a deal for peace in Gaza

Talks between Israel and Hamas were stuck for months, until one incident pushed things to the brink

- Summer Said, Anat Peled & Alexander Ward

Smoke billows over Gaza Strip following an Israeli bombardment, as seen from southern Israeli, on Sunday.

(AP)

U .S. and Arab mediators had worked fruitlessly for months to craft a deal to at least pause the fighting in Gaza and free more of the Israeli hostages held there. In the end, it was an act of war that set the stage for an ambitious plan to end the conflict once and for all.

On Sept. 9, Israeli missiles slammed into an office in Qatar where Palestinian militant group Hamas's top negotiators were meeting to discuss President Trump's latest proposal for a ceasefire. The attack on the soil of a major U.S. security partner came with little warning to Trump and none for Qatar.

Qatar and its Persian Gulf neighbors, who had acted as vital go-betweens for the U.S., Israel and Hamas, were furious and demanded Israel set things right. Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff feared their peace efforts would go off the rails.

Trump decided to try to turn the crisis to his advantage.

The attack was a sobering reminder to Arab countries of the risk of regional escalation, focusing their minds on peace. It also gave Trump some more leverage over a chastened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders who were now becoming a bigger risk for their Arab hosts.

Trump and his aides redoubled efforts. And after three weeks of shuttle diplomacy and frequent meetings among top officials from Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Trump stood before cameras in the White House and announced that he had a plan.

Netanyahu, standing by his side, voiced acceptance of the plan and said he was willing to end the war. A host of Arab and Muslim leaders followed suit.

It was, in Trump's estimation, "potentially one of the great days ever in civilization."