With Trump set to return to the Oval Office, some in the Middle East are hopeful for peace, while others are remaining defiant.

From CBN. From Tehran to Gaza to Tel Aviv, people and leaders throughout the Middle East are reacting to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

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Some are complaining, while others are celebrating.

Saudi journalist Ghassan Ibrahim wrote, “Trump’s victory is a victory for Israel in its war against terrorism. Trump has previously shown strong support for Israel, and he will continue this support, which could give Israel more freedom in its fight against Hezbollah’s terrorism.” …

Inside Iran, the rial, its currency, fell to an all-time low after the election, and many Iranians were pessimistic about their future.

Student Amir Aghaeian, 22, stated, “100 percent, he (Trump) will intensify the sanctions. Things that are not in our favor will be worse. Our economy and social situation will surely get worse.”

In Israel, however, many Israelis believe Trump’s presidency will mean more firm support from the U.S. …

Some in Gaza hope Trump will end their suffering.

“I hope to God that he is a man of peace, and finds a solution for us. Enough blood. You see how the streets have become. There is no house without a martyr, a wounded person, or a disaster in it,” said Raghda al-Harazin who was displaced from Gaza City. …

From Newsweek. A senior Hamas official has called for an immediate end to Israel’s war against the group in the Gaza Strip and a plan to achieve Palestinian statehood in remarks shared with Newsweek in the wake of former President Donald Trump‘s election victory.

“The election of Trump as the 47th president of the USA is a private matter for the Americans,” Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson Basem Naim told Newsweek, “but Palestinians look forward to an immediate cessation of the aggression against our people, especially in Gaza, and look for assistance in achieving their legitimate rights of freedom, independence, and the establishment of their independent self-sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

“The blind support for the Zionist entity ‘Israel’ and its fascist government, at the expense of the future of our people and the security and stability of the region, must stop immediately,” he added.

When previously in office, Trump forged a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is today engaged in a multifront war against the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance that began with a large-scale Hamas-led attack against Israel in October 2023. However, Trump has also expressed criticism of Netanyahu’s wartime leadership and has called for a timely end to the conflict. …

In a statement issued Wednesday, Hamas also called for an end to Israel’s campaign in Lebanon and for the U.S. to “stop providing military support and political cover to the Zionist entity, and to recognize the legitimate rights of our people.” …

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the West Bank-based government that rivals the Gaza-based Hamas, also congratulated Trump on his election victory Wednesday.

Abbas expressed “his aspiration to work with President Trump for peace and security in the region” and stressed “the commitment of our people to seek freedom, self-determination and statehood, in accordance with international law,” according to a statement published by the Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA).

Both Hamas and Abbas had frequently condemned Trump’s Middle East measures while he was in office, including his 2018 decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem and his 2020 plan to end the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. …

How do you think Trump’s second term will affect the Middle East? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

(Excerpts from CBN and Newsweek. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)