During a global summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, President Donald Trump subtly criticized some world leaders for their ineffective contributions to resolving the conflict in the Gaza Strip. He implied that their actions have hindered efforts to end Israel’s war with the Hamas group.

When pressed to identify which leaders he considered ineffective, Trump chose to remain vague but hinted, “I won’t comment on that. But you know probably who they are… There were a couple in the room.”

While Western leaders and the UN secretary-general aimed to share in the accolades of Trump’s success in the Middle East, seasoned analysts noted that Trump specifically acknowledged the roles of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as Qatar and Egypt, notably bypassing his usual Western allies.

President Donald Trump proudly displays the signed agreement at a summit of world leaders focused on ending the Gaza conflict. The event celebrated a ceasefire and prisoner-hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by the U.S., held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025. (Photo by REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)

In a related development, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sharply criticized Britain’s Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson for her claim of significant British involvement in Trump’s peace efforts. Huckabee retorted, “I assure you she’s delusional. She can thank @realDonaldTrump anytime just to set the record straight.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has been criticized by Trump for his initiative to recognize a Palestinian state. Trump previously said about Macron’s role in recognizing a Palestinian state: “What he says doesn’t matter.”

Observers also pointed to an awkward 26-second-long handshake at the summit between the two in Egypt on Tuesday.

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio lambasted Australia, Canada, Britain and France for recognizing a Palestinian state because it makes it “harder” to end the war. Rubio added the acceptance of a Palestinian state “emboldens” Hamas. Rubio said he conveyed the U.S. position to its Western allies.

Ret. British Col. Richard Kemp, who spent time in Gaza during the over-two-year war, wrote on X: “Tonight Trump name-checked countries that played a significant role in peace agreement. UK not included. Nor was France, Canada or Australia, the ‘recognisers.”

Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former National Security Council official, told Fox News Digital that, “We know for a fact that Hamas would pull back over and over again whenever there was a prospect of a U.N. Security Council action to pressure Israel, when Britain or Canada would announce an arms embargo on Israel, when French President Emmanuel Macron would organize a push for Palestinian state recognition. 

This is happening right now in spite of all them because of one man who said to their faces in front of the world, I don’t give a damn what you say or do, I will help Israel open the gates of hell unless the hostages come home now.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Oct. 13, 2025.  (REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)

He added, “It’s also a lesson for what comes next: Trump holds the cards for success or failure in demilitarizing Gaza and deradicalizing the Palestinians. If Trump lets the Europeans or the U.N. run the show, his plan is doomed; if he keeps his sword of Damocles hanging over the process, he may yet succeed.”

Special envoy, Steve Witkoff, later thanked the U.K.’s national security advisor in a statement on X: “I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel. In particular, I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.”

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) greets UN Secretary-General António Guterres during a summit of European and Middle Eastern leaders on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. President Trump is in Egypt to meet with European and Middle Eastern leaders in what’s being billed as an international peace summit, following the start of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Evan Vucci – Pool/Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch warned, “Israel is finally seeing the hostages come home, and perhaps the guns fall silent. But let the world remember: this could have ended long ago if many around the world — from U.N. officials to so-called human rights groups like Amnesty International — had not spent two years justifying Hamas instead of confronting it.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who also flew to Egypt for the signing, has faced intense criticism in the German media for allegedly seeking to bask in the victory of Trump’s triumph after he imposed a weapons embargo on Israel’s army. Israeli tanks are dependent on German technological parts and Merz prohibited deliveries. 

Writing on the website of the conservative news outlet NIUS, its editor-in-chief, Julian Reichelt, said Merz “supplied Hamas with air support while simultaneously denying Israel the weapons it needed to fight Hamas. He withdrew support to the Jews but increased financial support for the proven Hamas front organization UNRWA, which was directly involved in the Oct. 7 attack.” The airpower reference was Merz’s decision to send humanitarian aid to Gaza via airlift deliveries. Hamas has repeatedly stolen aid that was meant for the Palestinian population.