By Maria Siow

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Leaders in Asia have welcomed the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, hailing it as a turning point in the Gaza conflict while cautioning that deeper challenges lie ahead for lasting peace to materialise.
The initial agreement, announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, includes a pause in fighting and the release of both Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. Trump said he planned to travel to Egypt for the agreement’s formal signing, while the White House confirmed that hostages were expected to be released on Monday.
Of the 48 hostages slated to be released, 20 are believed to be alive, according to Israeli authorities. The US military is reportedly preparing to deploy up to 200 troops in Gaza to support stabilisation efforts and humanitarian aid supplies in the Palestinian territory.
A lasting ceasefire could help improve Washington’s standing in Asia, where Washington’s credibility has been dented over its resolute support for Israel despite the devastating war in Gaza, according to analysts.
‘Long and winding’ road to peace
On Thursday, Japan welcomed the first phase of the peace plan as a “significant” step towards ending the conflict, pledging to play a role in Gaza’s recovery.
Hailing Trump’s “strong” leadership, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba wrote in a social media post that the international community must “seize this opportunity to realise a swift improvement of the humanitarian situation, lasting peace, and a two-state solution” and that Japan would “continue to play a proactive role”.
In a statement released on Thursday, South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed appreciation for Trump’s initiative in facilitating the deal, and his outreach to countries, including Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, as part of mediation efforts.

Seoul hoped the agreement would lead to the swift release of all hostages, help improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and serve as a critical turning point towards restoring peace and stability in the Middle East, the statement added.
Welcoming the ceasefire, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated Trump on his leadership and the success of the Gaza peace plan, which he described as a “breakthrough”.
“We have called for some time for a ceasefire, for the release of the hostages, for aid to be granted,” he said, pointing out that Canberra had been pushing for a two-state solution.
In a social media post, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he called “my friend, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, to congratulate him on the progress made” under Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
“We welcome the agreement on the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” Modi wrote, adding the deal reaffirmed that “terrorism in any form or manifestation is unacceptable anywhere in the world”.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement on Thursday that the peace plan was a start, but the path to peace remained “long and winding”.
“Malaysia supports this preliminary agreement not because we are cowed, but rather we are confident that brave and principled diplomacy can bring us to true peace,” Anwar said.
He added that Malaysia would not stop its efforts to support the Palestinian cause, noting that “every step is to bring an end to the cruelty and oppression that have become increasingly insane”.

According to authorities in Gaza, at least 67,194 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war since October 2023.
Mohd Nor Hamzah, information chief of the clerics council of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, said the ceasefire agreement was a moral victory for Hamas and Muslims in Gaza.
“It is an early indication of the major loss for the Zionist regime that has carried out a genocide on the people of Gaza,” he said in a statement on Friday, referring to Israel.
“Major challenges remain, including the issues of trust, oversight and guarantees of long-term effectiveness [of the ceasefire],” he added.
The council called on the Muslim world to unite and support Hamas’ struggles by demanding full independence for Palestine, instead of bowing to pressures for a peace plan that would only benefit Israel and the US.
“This struggle will not end so long as the Muslim world does not unite to ensure Palestine is freed from the clutches of the Zionist regime,” the council added.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said the ceasefire deal “would not have been possible without President Trump”.

Shanmugam said seasoned observers were “urging caution” because, as far as the Middle East situation was concerned, “it’s never done until it’s done”.
“But we hope that this will be done,” he said, adding that Trump had to be “commended tremendously” for pushing the two sides to reach a deal.
“Ultimately, only the USA can influence Israel’s course of action. And he has done that.”
Repairing Washington’s image
Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said that if the deal were to succeed with adequate guarantees for the security, safety and future of both Palestinians and Israelis, it could improve perceptions of the US in Southeast Asia and around the world.
“Those are big ifs, however,” Chong said, adding that while any failure in the ceasefire deal might be seen as an “affront” to Trump, it would not change how people viewed the conflict.
Even if there was no sympathy in the region for Hamas over its violent terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Chong said that “a lot of people, especially in Southeast Asia, already attribute near unequivocal US support for Israel with complicity if not responsibility for the latter’s excesses in Gaza and the large civilian cost on Palestinians”.
Vannarith Chheang, a lecturer in public policy and global affairs at Nanyang Technological University, said if the peace plan were to succeed in Gaza, it would “give a leg up” for US diplomacy.
“But it will not likely change regional power dynamics and perception much. Tariffs remain the key factor here,” Chheang said.

If Washington, however, could push Cambodia and Thailand towards a durable peace deal, its image in Southeast Asia would improve, he added.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have simmered for years over their long-standing border dispute, which has led to armed clashes and hostile political rhetoric. Both countries agreed to a ceasefire in July after a brief conflict.
Robert Patman, professor of international relations at New Zealand’s Otago University, said on social media that while the Gaza deal was a welcome step, more should be done to stabilise the Middle East.
“Measures must be taken internationally to ensure there is no repetition of the sort of carnage that we have witnessed in the Gaza Strip during the past two years,” Patman said.
Additional reporting by Joseph Sipalan