In a week that marked the second anniversary of the Gaza war and saw a breakthrough in peace talks, a ceasefire was agreed upon on Thursday. This agreement should lead to the imminent release of the 48 hostages still held by Hamas, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli troops are also expected to withdraw to an agreed line.

President Trump is flying out to Egypt to personally sign the deal, which he is widely credited for, before heading to Israel to mark the moment the captives are freed, expected early next week. Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the war?

It’s also been a week that saw another French Prime Minister bite the political dust. Macron loyalist Sebastian Lecornu took on the seemingly poisoned chalice just last month. On Monday – 27 days later – he resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in the history of the Fifth Republic. The man nicknamed “the Pickle” couldn’t get France out of one.

President Macron has now burned through five PMs in two years. Rather than trigger elections to break the deadlock, he’s fallen back on his previous choice by bringing Lecornu back again.

Finally, this week also saw the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, currently in hiding. The panel praised her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her bravery in standing against the authoritarian regime of President Nicolas Maduro.