President Trump declared the war in the Gaza Strip over as he and other world leaders signed a peace deal, ushering in an elusive truce between Israel and Hamas to end one of the bloodiest and devastating chapters in the volatile Middle East.
Although the path to lasting peace remains fragile and faces many thorny questions and potential setbacks, Monday was a day of celebration with jubilation on the streets of Gaza and Tel Aviv.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza was halted. Hamas released the final 20 living hostages and began the transfer of the remains of the dead hostages. Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and sent them home by the busload. Humanitarian aid deliveries resumed to the weary and starving residents of Gaza, where Hamas officials say some 70,000 Palestinians died during the war.
“After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today, the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” said Mr. Trump, addressing the Knesset. “Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment everything began to change.”
“This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” Mr. Trump said, noting it was the first day Hamas was not holding any hostages since it kidnapped 251 people during its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist rampage in Israel that slaughtered some 1,200 Jews.
After visiting Israel, Mr. Trump traveled to Egypt to huddle with other world leaders and sign peace documents paving the way for the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to take hold.
SEE ALSO: ‘I’m good at making peace’: Israel-Hamas accord cements Trump’s legacy as peacemaker president
“Together, we have achieved what everybody said was impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Mr. Trump said after signing the document.
He said he expects the ceasefire to hold.
However, neither Israel nor Hamas had a representative at the signing. Mr. Trump had invited Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Israeli prime minister declined, citing an upcoming Jewish holiday. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, attended the summit.
Mr. Trump received a hero’s welcome everywhere he went, as world leaders and Israeli lawmakers lavished praise on him for securing the ceasefire with his 20-point peace plan.
Members of the Knesset gave him a standing ovation and interrupted his speech with thunderous applause. Mr. Netanyahu awarded Mr. Trump the Israel Prize, the Jewish state’s highest award, which has never before gone to a noncitizen.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi announced that he would bestow Mr. Trump with the Collar of the Nile, Egypt’s highest state honor, for “his pivotal role in ending the war in Gaza.”
SEE ALSO: Trump inks Gaza peace accord in Egypt as hostages freed, prisoners released: ‘It’s going to hold up’
Although Monday was all about celebrating the return of the hostages, it was only part of Mr. Trump’s three-phase ceasefire deal.
The second phase is more tenuous, and details still need to be hammered out. It calls for the destruction of Hamas’ offensive weaponry, including tunnels and military infrastructure. Hamas has repeatedly said it would not disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established, which Israel opposes.
The final phases focus on rebuilding Gaza, setting up a new government in the enclave and creating an international force to keep the peace.
Mr. Trump did not offer any details about plans to rebuild Gaza or the future for Palestinians, nor did he offer alternatives if he opposes Palestinian statehood.
“It started,” Mr. Trump said when asked about Phase 2. “The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other. You can start cleaning up. You look at Gaza. It needs a lot of cleanup.”
In his speech to Israeli lawmakers, Mr. Trump said he wants “stability, safety, dignity and economic development” in Gaza but offered few details on how that could be achieved.
In Egypt, Mr. Trump met with roughly 20 heads of state, including the leaders of Canada, Spain, Italy, Britain, France and several Muslim and Arab nations.
A spokesperson for Mr. el-Sissi said the leaders discussed Gaza’s future, including “efforts for reconstruction.”
“The meeting was held with the aim of coordinating among the participating countries regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, including efforts for reconstruction and the provision of humanitarian aid,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Mr. el-Sissi’s office said Egypt and Jordan will train Palestinian police officers while stressing that European countries also need to provide support to expand the initiative. The participating nations also discussed removing debris from Gaza and increasing the humanitarian flow into the territory.
The day’s events were punctuated by jubilation in the streets and touching videos of hostages reuniting with their loved ones on social media.
Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, was reunited with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani. Photos showed him kissing Ms. Argamani after two years apart.
In another emotional video, hostage Matan Zangauker was shown speaking to his mother over the phone for the first time in two years.
“You are coming back home. You are all coming home. I love you. The war is over. There is no more war,” said his mother, Einav Zangauker, her voice choked with emotion.
Before addressing the Knesset, Mr. Trump met with the families of the hostages.
Hamas also released the remains of four deceased hostages of the 28 Jewish hostages remaining in Gaza. Hamas identified the hostages as Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and Daniel Peretz.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those taken hostage by Hamas, accused the militant group of violating the ceasefire by releasing only four of the bodies.
“The hostage families were shocked and dismayed to learn that only 4 bodies of deceased hostages will be returned today, out of 28 held by Hamas,” the group said. “This represents a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas.”
Mr. Trump told reporters that Hamas is looking for the remains of the hostages and expressed confidence that all will be returned.
Speaking to the Knesset, Mr. Trump issued a stern warning to both sides of the conflict. He told Israel that it was time to lay down arms and urged Hamas to abandon its hatred for the Jewish state and work to rebuild Gaza.
“Israel has won all that can be won by force of arms. Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East,” Mr. Trump said.
He called on Palestinians in Gaza to dedicate their “total focus” on “restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity and economic development so they can finally have the better life their children deserve.”
“It should be clear to everyone throughout this region that decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism, jihadism and antisemitism have not worked. They have backfired completely and totally. From Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering and failure.”
Mr. Trump thanked Mr. Netanyahu for what he called a “great job” in helping him secure a ceasefire. He also offered a soft jab at the Israeli leader, calling him not “the easiest guy to deal with, but that’s what makes him great.”
He praised Mr. Netanyahu as a man of “exceptional courage and patriotism whose partnership did so much to make this momentous day possible.”
In a surprising moment, Mr. Trump veered off his scripted remarks to call on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Mr. Netanyahu to end an ongoing corruption trial that has lingered in the background during the war.
“Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon?” Mr. Trump said. “I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense, you know, whether we like it or not, this has been one of the greatest wartime presidents.”
“Cigars and Champagne, who the hell cares?” Mr. Trump continued, referring to allegations that Mr. Netanyahu received expensive gifts such as cigars and Champagne from overseas businessmen.
Mr. Netanyahu called Mr. Trump the “greatest friend the state of Israel has ever had in the White House.”
