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At first, Israel's aerial attack on the Hamas militant negotiating team in Qatar seemed like another escalation that pushed the prospect of a ceasefire out of reach.

This strike on 9 September violated the territorial integrity of an American ally and risked expanding the conflict into a region-wide war.

Diplomacy appeared to be collapsing.

Instead, it proved to be a pivotal event that culminated in a deal, declared by Donald Trump, to release all remaining hostages.

That represents a goal that Trump, and President Joe Biden previously, had pursued for nearly two years.

This marks just the first step towards a lasting resolution, and the details of disarming Hamas, Gaza governance and complete Israeli pullout are still to be negotiated.

But if this agreement stands, it could be Donald Trump's defining accomplishment of his second term - one that escaped Biden and his diplomatic team.

The president's unique style and key alliances with the Israeli government and the Middle Eastern nations appear to have played a role in this success.

But, as with many diplomatic achievements, there were also factors at play beyond the control of both leaders.

A Close Relationship Which Eluded Biden

In public, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are all smiles.

The president likes to say that the nation has no better friend, and the Israeli leader has called him as Israel's "greatest ever ally in the White House". And these warm words have been backed up by deeds.

During his initial time in office, the president relocated the US embassy in the country from its former location to Jerusalem and discarded a long-held US position that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are against international law, the position under international law.

After Israel began its bombing campaign against Iran in the summer, the US leader directed US bombers to target the Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities with its most powerful conventional bombs.

Those visible shows of support may have allowed the president the room to exert more influence on Israel in private. According to reports, the president's envoy, Steve Witkoff, browbeat Netanyahu in late 2024 into accepting a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of some hostages.

When Israeli forces attacked against Syrian forces in the summer, including hitting a place of worship, the US president urged Netanyahu to alter tactics.

The leader displayed a level of determination and pressure on an Israel's leader that is rarely seen, according to Aaron David Miller of the a think tank. "It's unheard of of an American president directly instructing an Israeli leader that you're going to have to comply or else."

Biden's connection with Netanyahu's government was always more strained.

His administration's "bear hug strategy" held that the United States had to embrace the nation publicly in order to enable it to influence the nation's military actions in private.

Beneath this was the president's nearly half-century of backing for Israel, as well as deep disagreements within his political base over the Gaza War. Every step the leader took endangered dividing his own political backing, whereas his successor's solid Republican base gave him more flexibility to manoeuvre.

Ultimately, domestic politics or individual ties may have had less importance than the simple fact that, during his term, the Israeli government was not ready to reach an agreement.

Eight months into Trump's second term, with the Islamic Republic weakened, the militant group to its northern border significantly reduced and the coastal strip devastated, every one of its major strategy objectives had been accomplished.

Commercial Background Assisted Secure Gulf's Backing

An Israeli strike in the Qatari capital, which killed a Qatari citizen but not the intended targets, led the president to issue an final demand to the prime minister. The war had to stop.

The US leader had allowed the Israeli military a relatively free hand in Gaza. He lent US armed support to Israel's campaign in the neighboring country. But an attack on Qatari territory was a separate issue completely, moving him towards the stance of Arab nations on how best to conclude the conflict.

Several administration figures have informed media outlets that this was a decisive moment which galvanised the president to apply maximum pressure to finalize an agreement.

This US president's close ties with the Gulf states are well documented. Trump has business dealings with Qatar and the UAE. The president began each of his administrations with official trips to Saudi Arabia. Recently, Trump also stopped in Qatar and the UAE capital.

The president's Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between the Jewish state and a number of Arab nations, such as the UAE, was the biggest foreign policy success of his initial presidency.

The time he spent in the capitals of the Gulf region earlier this year contributed to change his thinking, says an expert of the a policy institute. Trump did not visit Israel on this regional tour but visited the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar where the leader received repeated calls to put a stop to the war.

Within weeks after that attack on Doha, Trump was present nearby as the prime minister himself phoned the Qatari leadership to express regret. And later that day, the Israeli leader gave approval on Trump's comprehensive proposal for the territory - one that additionally had the backing of influential Arab states in the area.

Assuming the president's relationship with Netanyahu provided him the ability to pressure Israel to strike a deal, his past with Arab rulers may have secured their support, and helped them convince Hamas to commit to the arrangement.

"One of the things that clearly happened was that President Trump developed influence with the Israeli government, and through intermediaries with the militants," notes an analyst of the a research center.

"That made a difference. His ability to do this on his timing, and avoid yielding to the desires of the warring sides has been a problem that lot of earlier administrations have faced, and he appears to do with some success."

The reality that Trump is far better liked in Israel than the prime minister himself was leverage that Trump used to his benefit, the expert continues.

Currently the Israeli government has committed to freeing over a thousand detainees imprisoned in Israeli prisons and has agreed to a partial withdrawal from Gaza.

The group will release all the captives still held, living and dead, captured during the original 7 October assault, which resulted in the death of over 1,200 Israelis.

An end to the war, which has resulted in the destruction of Gaza and the fatalities of more than 67,000 {Palestinians|Pal