Asset Publisher

IMAGO / Bestimage
Single title

Reactions and expectations in the Middle East and North Africa

Hostage release, ceasefire and peace summit

Two years after the brutal attack on Israel by the terrorist organisation Hamas and other Islamist groups on 7 October 2023, and following the subsequent Gaza War, a ceasefire came into effect on 10 October 2025. This was achieved primarily on the basis of Trump's 20-point plan and was accompanied by negotiations and an agreement between the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. How do the states in the Middle East and North Africa view this important progress in the crisis-ridden region: the release of the living Israeli hostages and the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip? What are the expectations for the peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh and what demands are being made of the EU and Germany in particular, especially with regard to the future of the Gaza Strip? The heads of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's offices in the Middle East and North Africa provide an overview.

Asset Publisher

While almost all governments in the Arab world welcomed the release of the living Israeli hostages and celebrated the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in particular, the majority are cautiously optimistic about the path towards lasting peace in the region. Even after the peace summit in Egypt, too many questions remain unanswered about the details of the next phases of the Trump plan. It remains unclear how the terrorist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip will actually be disempowered and demilitarised and what the future administration of the coastal strip might look like. There is unanimous demand in the Arab world for a realistic prospect of a Palestinian state, and in some circles in Turkey, Mauritania and among Islamists and left-wing extremists, the ceasefire is even being hailed as a victory for Palestinian resistance against Israel.

 

The full-lenght publication is only available in German.

Asset Publisher

Contact Dr. Thomas Volk
Portrait
Head of the "Middle East and North Africa" department
thomas.volk@kas.de

comment-portlet

Asset Publisher