No Nobel for Trump? Peace committee already had a pick before Gaza deal

OSLO – The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious peace prize, held its final meeting on Oct 6, the Nobel Institute said on Oct 9, a day ahead of the announcement of the 2025 laureate.

This means a decision has been made about the laureate, or laureates, before the conclusion of an agreement between Israel and Hamas
, which includes a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

The deal, seen as a major step towards ending the two years of war in Gaza, was struck under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has made no secret of the fact that he believes he is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.

“The last meeting of the Nobel Committee took place on (Oct 6),” Mr Erik Aasheim, spokesman for the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told Agence France-Presse.

Comprising five members, the Nobel Committee typically makes its decision several days or even weeks before and meets one last time in the run-up to the official announcement.

“The final touches were made on (Oct 6), but we never disclose when the Nobel Committee makes its decision,” Mr Aasheim added.

No further committee meetings are scheduled before the laureate’s name is revealed on Oct 10 at 11am (5pm Singapore time), he explained.

“There will be a laureate this year,” he said, even as some experts have speculated that the Nobel Committee – due to the deteriorated geopolitical situation – might refrain from awarding the prize.

Claiming a role in resolving multiple conflicts, Mr Trump has repeatedly asserted since his return to the White House in January that he deserves the nod.

He recently said it would be “a big insult”
to the United States if he is not given the prize.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas, announced overnight on Oct 9, “has absolutely no impact” on the choice of the 2025 laureate because “the Nobel Committee has already made its decision”, historian Asle Sveen, a specialist in the Nobel Prize, said.

“Trump will not win the prize this year. I’m 100 per cent certain,” he said.

He emphasised that the US president has long “given free rein” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bomb Gaza and provided significant military aid to Israel.

In 2025, 338 individuals and organisations were nominated for the Peace Prize, which in 2024 was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo
, a group of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings campaigning against nuclear weapons. AFP