A BBC expert has pinpointed the Israeli military mistake which ultimately led to a breakthrough in attempts to find peace in the Middle East.

Jeremy Bowen said an attempted strike on the Hamas leadership as they held talks in Qatar caused such a “backlash” that Donald Trump piled pressure on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war.

Trump announced on Wednesday night that the first phase of his plan to end the war in Gaza had been agreed between Israel and Hamas.

It comes after days of intense talks involving diplomats from Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye as well as America.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

Keir Starmer said it was “a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world”.

The news comes just two days after the second anniversary of October 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, sparking the current conflict.

Nearly 1,200 people were killed during the incursion, and around 250 people were taken as hostages into Gaza.

On Radio 4′s Today programme, BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen said Israel’s isolation on the global stage had led to the breakthrough.

He said: “A date to wind back to is September 9, the failed attack on the Hamas leadership in Doha in Qatar, when ironically, they were in a meeting discussing Trump’s proposals for a ceasefire.

“That caused such a backlash among the Americans, among the Gulf Arabs particularly, that it built up a head of steam which caused Trump to put the pressure that was necessary on Netanyahu.”

Bowen added: “Israel is a very isolated country now, under a lot of pressure from allies including Britain, to end the war and I think that Netanyahu felt he never really had a choice on this because the Israelis are dependent on the Americans.”

– Jeremy Bowen is BBC’s international Editor