Hello from London,

Could Monday prove to be the most significant day of Donald Trump’s presidency? A hastily arranged gathering of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is set to bless his peace deal in Gaza. By some point that day Hamas should have freed all of the Israeli hostages—just as Israel releases many more Palestinian prisoners. As phase one of the ceasefire concludes, with the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza and the return of Palestinians to the rubble of Gaza city and elsewhere, attention turns to the immense challenges of the next phases.

Mr Trump has much to feel pleased about. The deal could prompt a wider reshaping of relations in the region. Progress requires two steps. The first is the provision of humanitarian supplies to ease the plight of 2m starved and war-battered people. Then money will be needed to rebuild Gaza. Europeans, presumably, will be expected to help with all this. The second, and harder, step will be to turn the deliberately vague 20-point peace plan into far more precise agreements. With that precision, unfortunately, will come more disputes.

Palestinians are delighted by the end of the violence, but will they really accept outsiders, including Mr Trump and Tony Blair, overseeing their government in Gaza? Hamas may be exhausted, but it seems unlikely to give up all of its weapons or to fully remove itself from Palestinian security and politics. The presence of foreign soldiers to serve as a sort of “reassurance” force is also fraught with risks. In Israel the euphoria over released hostages will fade relatively quickly, and the country’s divisions will return to the fore. A general election must be held by next October. Domestic politics, including Binyamin Netanyahu’s unpopularity, will influence what the government accepts in negotiations. Pressure from Mr Trump will only go so far. Read our new story on the situation in the Middle East.

Will Mr Trump pay consistent attention to the Middle East once the first flush of celebrations has passed? Some scepticism is warranted, especially once you consider the other problems that are heaped on his plate. Start with the trade war between America and China, which is back on after China imposed new limits on exports of rare-earth minerals. Mr Trump responded by threatening an extra 100% levy on Chinese imports. He says a planned meeting with Xi Jinping later this month may be off. (Read our analysis of the clash.) 

Then there is the government shutdown. Over 1m public employees in America may not be paid on time this week. The standoff between Republicans and Democrats is worsening voters’ perceptions of both parties. Mr Trump’s own approval rating remains low, as our tracker shows. As if that weren’t enough, there’s the small matter of the war in Ukraine, where Russia continues to smash civilian infrastructure—including the power grid—as winter approaches.

This is not a counsel of despair. The peace process in Gaza has—so far—gone well, largely because of the hard work of Mr Trump and his team. But the next stages will require as much persistence. The summit in Egypt on Monday is a moment of celebration. It is also the start of what is likely to be a gruelling effort to find lasting peace in the region.

Last week I asked for your views on the Nobel peace prize, and whether it was a crazy idea that Mr Trump should get it. Hundreds of you wrote in to offer your views. Overwhelmingly, you rejected the idea. (As did the Nobel committee in Oslo.) One or two of you, shock, suspected that I raised the question only to provoke a spirited response. Some pointed out that the prize generally focuses on achievements in the year prior to its awarding, so events in 2025 should be ignored for this year’s prize. In that case, we can return to the question at roughly this time next year. For this week I would like to hear your views on the summit in Egypt and whether the peace deal will stick. Write to me at economisttoday@economist.com.

Finally, subscribers can now watch our new Insider shows, including our interview with Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister. On Tuesday look out for Shashank Joshi, our defence editor, in conversation with Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary-general. Tune in at 6pm GMT, or watch afterwards on demand. Visit the Insider hub for more information.