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At first, the Israeli aerial attack on the Hamas militant delegation in Doha seemed like another intensification that pushed the hope of a ceasefire further away.

This strike on 9 September violated the sovereignty of an US partner and threatened expanding the hostilities into a region-wide war.

Diplomacy seemed to be in ruins.

Instead, it turned out to be a pivotal event that has led in a deal, declared by Donald Trump, to release all captives still held.

That represents a objective that Trump, and Joe Biden previously, had sought for almost 24 months.

It is just the first step towards a lasting resolution, and the specifics of Hamas disarmament, administering Gaza and complete Israeli pullout are still to be worked out.

Yet if this agreement holds, it could be Trump's signature achievement of his return to office - one that eluded Joe Biden and his diplomatic team.

The president's unique style and key alliances with Israel and the Arab world appear to have contributed in this success.

However, as with most diplomatic achievements, there were also factors involved beyond the control of either man.

Strong Ties Which Biden Never Had

Publicly, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are all smiles.

The president likes to say that the nation has no greater ally, and the Israeli leader has described Trump as the country's "most supportive friend in the US presidency". Moreover these warm words have been backed up by deeds.

During his initial time in office, the president relocated the US embassy in Israel from its former location to Jerusalem and discarded a traditional American stance that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank are against international law, the view under international law.

When the Israeli military began its air strikes against Iran in June, Trump directed US bombers to strike the nation's atomic sites with its largest non-nuclear weapons.

Those public demonstrations of backing may have allowed the president the leeway to exert more influence on the Israeli government in private. According to reports, Trump's negotiator, his representative, browbeat Netanyahu in late 2024 into accepting a halt in fighting in return for the release of a number of captives.

When Israel launched strikes against Syrian forces in July, including bombing a place of worship, Trump pressured Netanyahu to alter tactics.

The leader displayed a degree of will and insistence on an Israeli prime minister that is rarely seen, says an analyst of the a think tank. "There is no example of an US leader directly instructing an Israeli leader that they must agree or else."

Joe Biden's connection with the Israeli administration was always more tenuous.

The Biden team's "close embrace strategy" argued that the US had to support the nation publicly in order to enable it to influence the nation's war conduct in private.

Beneath this was the president's nearly half-century of backing for Israel, as well as sharp divisions within his Democratic coalition over the conflict in Gaza. Every step Biden took endangered fracturing his own political backing, while his successor's loyal conservative voters provided him more flexibility to manoeuvre.

Ultimately, internal considerations or personal relationships may have had little impact than the simple fact that, throughout Biden's presidency, the Israeli government was not ready to reach an agreement.

Several months into his new administration, with the Islamic Republic chastened, the militant group to its immediate north significantly reduced and Gaza devastated, all its major strategy objectives had been achieved.

Commercial Background Helped Gain Support from Arab States

The Israeli missile attack in Doha, which killed a local national but not the intended targets, prompted Trump to deliver an ultimatum to the prime minister. The war had to end.

Trump had allowed Israel a relatively free hand in Gaza. He provided US armed support to Israeli operations in the neighboring country. But an strike on Qatari territory was a different matter entirely, pushing him towards the Arab position on how best to end the war.

Several administration figures have told media outlets that this was a decisive moment which galvanised the president to apply full force to finalize an agreement.

The leader's strong connections with the Gulf states are well documented. Trump has commercial interests with the emirate and the UAE. The president began both his presidential terms with state visits to Saudi Arabia. This year, he also visited in Doha and the UAE capital.

The president's Abraham Accords, which established ties between Israel and several Muslim states, including the UAE, was the most significant foreign policy success of his initial presidency.

His visits devoted in the capitals of the Arabian Peninsula in recent months helped change his thinking, says an expert of the Council on Foreign Relations. The US president did not travel to Israel on this Middle East trip but visited the UAE, the kingdom and the state where he heard consistent appeals to bring an end to the conflict.

Within weeks after that attack on the city, Trump was present nearby as the prime minister personally called the Qatari leadership to express regret. Subsequently, the Israeli leader gave approval on the president's 20-point peace plan for Gaza - one that additionally had the support of key Muslim nations in the area.

Assuming Trump's relationship with his counterpart gave him the room to pressure the government to strike a deal, his history with Arab rulers may have ensured their backing, and assisted them persuade Hamas to commit to the arrangement.

"One of the things that clearly happened was that President Trump gained leverage with the Israelis, and through intermediaries with the militants," notes Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"That made a difference. His ability to do this on his own schedule, and not succumb to the desires of the combatants has been a challenge that many earlier administrations have faced, and Trump appears to handle relatively successfully."

The reality that Trump is much more popular in the nation than the prime minister himself was an advantage that Trump employed to his advantage, the expert continues.

Currently the Israeli government has committed to releasing more than 1,000 detainees imprisoned in Israeli prisons and has consented to a limited pullback from Gaza.

Hamas will free all the captives still held, living and dead, captured during the initial October 7 Hamas attack, which resulted in the death of over 1,200 Israeli citizens.

A conclusion to the conflict, which has led to the devastation of Gaza and the fatalities of over 67,000 {Palestinians|Pal