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Initially, Israel's aerial attack on the Hamas militant negotiating team in Qatar seemed like yet another escalation that drove the hope of a ceasefire further away.

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

Diplomacy appeared to be collapsing.

Instead, it turned out to be a key moment that has led in a agreement, declared by Donald Trump, to free all remaining hostages.

That represents a objective that Trump, and 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 worked out.

But if this deal stands, it could be Trump's signature achievement of his second term - one that escaped Biden and his administration.

The president's distinct approach and key alliances with Israel and the Middle Eastern nations appear to have played a role in this success.

But, as with most foreign policy wins, there were also factors at play beyond the influence of either man.

Strong Ties Which Eluded Biden

In public, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are consistently friendly.

The president often states that the nation has no greater ally, and the Israeli leader has called him as the country's "greatest ever ally in the White House". Moreover these positive statements have been matched by deeds.

Throughout his first presidential term, Trump moved the US embassy in the country from Tel Aviv to the contested capital and abandoned a traditional American stance that Jewish communities in the occupied territories are against international law, the view under global norms.

After the Israeli military began its bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic in the summer, Trump directed US bombers to target the nation's nuclear enrichment facilities with its most powerful conventional bombs.

Those visible shows of support may have given the president the room to exert more pressure on the Israeli government behind the scenes. According to reports, Trump's envoy, his representative, browbeat the prime minister in the latter part of the year into accepting a halt in fighting in exchange for the release of a number of captives.

After Israel launched strikes against Syrian forces in the summer, including bombing a Christian church, Trump pressured his counterpart to alter tactics.

The leader exhibited a degree of will and pressure on an Israel's leader that is rarely seen, says an analyst of the a think tank. "It's unheard of of an American president directly instructing an Israeli prime minister that you're going to have to comply or else."

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

His administration's "bear hug approach" held that the United States had to support Israel publicly in order to enable it to moderate the nation's military actions behind closed doors.

Beneath this was the president's nearly half-century of support for the state, as well as deep disagreements within his Democratic coalition over the Gaza War. Every step the leader took risked dividing his own political backing, while his successor's loyal conservative voters gave him more room to manoeuvre.

Ultimately, domestic politics or individual ties may have had less importance than the reality that, throughout his term, Israel was unwilling to make peace.

Eight months into Trump's second term, with Iran chastened, the militant group to its immediate north significantly reduced and Gaza in ruins, all its major strategy objectives had been achieved.

Business History Helped Gain Gulf's Backing

An Israeli strike in Doha, which resulted in the death of a local national but no Hamas officials, led Trump to issue an ultimatum to Netanyahu. The war had to end.

The US leader had given Israel a significant latitude in the territory. He provided US armed support to Israel's campaign in Iran. But an attack on Qatar soil was a different matter completely, moving him towards the stance of Arab nations on how best to end the war.

Several administration figures have told the press that this was a decisive moment which motivated the leader to apply full force to finalize an agreement.

This US president's close ties with the Arab monarchies are well documented. He has business dealings with Qatar and the UAE. The president began each of his administrations with state visits to the kingdom. This year, he also visited in Doha and the UAE capital.

His normalization agreements, which normalised relations between Israel and several Muslim states, including the Emirates, was the most significant diplomatic achievement of his initial presidency.

The time he spent in the cities of the Arabian Peninsula in recent months helped change his thinking, according to Ed Husain of the a policy institute. Trump did not travel to Israel on this regional tour but went to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the state where he received repeated calls to put a stop to the conflict.

Within weeks after that attack on the city, the president sat nearby as the prime minister personally called Qatar to express regret. And later that day, the Israeli leader gave approval on Trump's comprehensive proposal for Gaza - one that additionally had the backing of key Muslim nations in the area.

If the president's relationship with Netanyahu provided him the room to pressure the government to reach an agreement, his past with Muslim leaders may have ensured their support, and helped them persuade Hamas to commit to the deal.

"A key factor that clearly happened was that President Trump gained influence with the Israelis, and indirectly with Hamas," says an analyst of the a research center.

"This was crucial. His ability to do this on his timing, and avoid yielding to the demands of the warring sides has been a challenge that many previous presidents have faced, and Trump appears to do with some success."

The fact that Trump is far better liked in Israel than Netanyahu himself was leverage that Trump employed to his benefit, the expert continues.

Now the Israeli government has agreed to releasing more than 1,000 Palestinians imprisoned in its jails and has consented to a partial withdrawal from Gaza.

The group will release all the remaining hostages, living and dead, taken during the initial October 7 assault, which resulted in the loss of more than 1,200 Israelis.

A conclusion to the conflict, which has resulted in the destruction of the territory and the deaths of more than 67,000 {Palestinians|Pal