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In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, has formalized a declaration aimed at establishing peace in Gaza during a summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
“A new and beautiful day is rising, and now the rebuilding begins,” President Trump stated, commending the regional leaders whose efforts facilitated the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Addressing the Knesset earlier in the day, the President assured Israeli lawmakers that “the long and painful nightmare is finally over,” eliciting enthusiastic applause.
As part of the agreement, Israel is releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners, in addition to over 1,700 other Palestinians detained during the two-year military operations in Gaza. This is in exchange for the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The exchange, constituting the initial phase of President Trump’s peace initiative, also encompasses the repatriation of the remains of 28 deceased Israeli hostages.
In Egypt, President Trump appeared optimistic alongside Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and over 20 other global leaders.
“Everybody’s happy,” President Trump remarked, adding that while he had orchestrated “big deals before,” this particular agreement had “taken off like a rocket ship.”
“This took 3,000 years to get to this point, can you believe it? And it’s going to hold up too,” he asserted.
Following the ceremony, President al-Sisi bestowed upon President Trump the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest honor, a necklace crafted from pure gold.
The Egyptian President hailed the day as a “historic milestone that ends an agonizing chapter.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who had been barred from attending the UN General Assembly in New York by the U.S. less than a week prior, was among the numerous world leaders present at the summit for a photo opportunity with President Trump.
Despite the enactment of the ceasefire agreement’s first phase, questions remain regarding the future role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
President Trump indicated that the second phase of negotiations concerning a comprehensive peace accord is underway.
During his address to the Knesset, the American President alluded to “the historic dawn of a new Middle East” in the region.
His remarks echoed the language used when Israel signed landmark deals with several Arab states during his initial presidential term.
“At last, not only for Israelis but also Palestinians, the long and painful nightmare is finally over,” President Trump declared to the Israeli parliament.
Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, politicians chanted “Trump, Trump, Trump.”
The ceasefire, which he helped broker, represented “the most challenging breakthrough of them all, the most challenging breakthrough maybe ever,” the U.S. leader stated. He suggested that resolving the Russia-Ukraine war would be his next priority.
President Trump shared details of recent conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicating his concern that the Israeli military campaign in Gaza was becoming “bad” and “heated.”
“I said, ‘Bibi you’re going to be remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going, kill, kill, kill’,” President Trump recounted.
Introducing President Trump to the parliament, Prime Minister Netanyahu described the U.S. President as the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had in the White House.
He asserted that “everything changed” in the American approach to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following President Trump’s re-election last year.
The Israeli Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to President Trump for his “unremitting help” in securing the release of the remaining hostages – part of a group of 251 individuals abducted during the 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas.
President Trump, in turn, paid tribute to his counterpart, stating: “He’s not the easiest guy to deal with, but that’s what makes him great.”
Alongside President Trump, key U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were also welcomed to the Knesset.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, accompanied by his wife Ivanka Trump, received particularly enthusiastic applause from Israeli MPs for their roles in brokering the ceasefire.
Attendees in the audience donned red caps bearing the slogan “Trump the Peace President,” a variation of President Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” slogan.
The parliamentary speaker informed President Trump that he was “no-one” more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize next year.
Some Israeli lawmakers who advocate for the continuation of the war in Gaza abstained from attending.
President Trump’s address was briefly interrupted when an opposition parliament member displayed a sign reading “Recognise Palestine,” resulting in at least one individual being escorted from the room.
The ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on Friday morning, following an agreement between Israel and Hamas on the initial phase of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan. The subsequent phases remain subject to negotiation.
President Trump has expressed confidence in the durability of the ceasefire and announced the imminent establishment of a “board of peace,” which he is slated to lead, to administer the territory.
A shaken sheriff said that a teacher, a neighbour and one of his best friends were among the victims who died in the 10 October blast.
The cyclone, whose name is derived from the direction the winds blow in the Atlantic Ocean, also hit the coast with strong winds.
The Canadian prime minister had a light-hearted exchange with the US president after he misspoke at the ‘Summit for Peace’.
When I went this weekend to take the oath to become an American citizen, I enountered disorder, and disappointment.
The European Broadcasting Union had previously announced it would hold a vote on Israel’s participation in November.
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