Are We Surprised?
Obama's Petty Snub: Praises Gaza Ceasefire Victory But Erases Trump's Name
Barack Obama praises the Gaza ceasefire breakthrough but pointedly omits President Trump's name, drawing fire from his critics as the deal promises hostage releases and lasting peace.
In a glaring example of partisan pettiness amid a monumental breakthrough, former President Barack Obama showered praise on the historic Gaza ceasefire deal engineered by President Donald Trump, yet deliberately omitted any credit for the architect behind it. Obama's statement on X, posted just days after the October 9, 2025, announcement of the agreement's first phase, hailed the end of two years of devastation following Hamas's barbaric October 7, 2023, massacre. That terrorist onslaught slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, including 38 children, and abducted 251 civilians into Gaza's terror tunnels, sparking a war with Israel determined campaign to eradicate the Iranian-backed terror group responsible.
“After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the war is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited with their families; and that vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza whose lives have been shattered,” Obama wrote. Off course he ignored any mention of the terrorist organization Hamas who are responsibly for the suffering on both sides. He continued, calling for unity: “it now falls on Israelis and Palestinians, with the support of the U.S. and the entire world community, to begin the hard task of rebuilding Gaza” and commit to “a process that, by recognizing the common humanity and basic rights of both peoples, can achieve a lasting peace.”
Conspicuously absent? Any nod to Trump, whose relentless diplomacy, bolstered by deadlines and threats of "complete obliteration" for non-compliance, forced Hamas to the table. The 20-point plan, unveiled in September 2025 after consultations with Arab and Muslim nations, mandates an immediate ceasefire, phased Israeli withdrawals (starting with troops pulling back from urban areas to hold 53% of Gaza initially), the release of all 48 remaining hostages (20 believed alive) in exchange for 250 Palestinian life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 detainees, Hamas's demilitarization, deployment of a 200-troop U.S.-overseen multinational force, and massive reconstruction under international supervision. Aid trucks surged into Gaza over the weekend, with Rafah crossing opened bidirectionally, marking the first real hope since earlier truces collapsed, including one shattered by Israel's March 2025 offensive after Hamas withheld hostages.
The omission drew immediate fire from Trump's allies. Donald Trump Jr. quipped on X, “I’ll finish it for you. ‘Thank you, Donald Trump.’” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) branded Obama “the most divisive President in modern American history” who “even in a moment of great accomplishment and peace couldn’t be a unifier.” Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) piled on: “The fact is President Trump has been cleaning up yours and Biden’s Middle East messes since the day he arrived in Washington, from the disastrous Iran deal to the failures in Gaza. Say his name, Barack!”
Trump, undeterred, revelled in the triumph during a White House cabinet meeting: “We reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East. We ended the war in Gaza, and on a much bigger basis, created peace… hopefully an everlasting peace in the Middle East.” This marks his eighth international accord since January 2025, building on the Abraham Accords and outshining Obama's Nobel Prize-winning efforts, which critics say achieved little beyond rhetoric. Trump arrives in Israel Monday morning, landing at Ben Gurion Airport post-9 a.m., to address the Knesset before jetting to Egypt for a summit with world leaders to seal the war's end. As Gazans trek home amid the rubble and hostages prepare for release, Obama's silence speaks volumes, prioritizing grudges over gratitude in a rare moment of unity against terror.