“The war is over, you understand that. This is going to be a very special time. Everybody’s cheering at one time. That’s never happened before. It’s an honor to be involved – and we’re going to have an amazing time,” said Trump, who is headed to the Middle East to celebrate the ceasefire and hostage deal.
He added, “Everybody is happy, whether it’s Jewish, Muslims, or Arabs. This is the first time they’ve ever seen that everybody is unified. We are going to Egypt after Israel, and we are going to meet all of the leaders of the very powerful and big countries, and very rich countries, and others, and they’re all into this deal.”
Trump ahead of his trip to Israel took to Truth Social and said: “This is going to be a very special time… Everybody’s cheering at one time. That’s never happened before… It’s an honor to be involved — and we’re going to have an amazing time.”
Trump also expressed confidence that the ceasefire would “hold”, adding that Israel and Hamas were “all tired of the fighting”.
The ceasefire agreement comes two years after a raging war, which was triggered after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing at least 1,200 people. Over 66,000 people have died in the Gaza war – most of them civilians. It has also destroyed much of the strip, while aid restrictions have triggered a famine in parts of Gaza.
Operation ‘Returning Home’
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have launched an Operation ‘Returning Home’ – aimed at bringing back hostages held by Hamas.
In a post on X, the Israeli forces, citing their Chief of General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, said, “In a few hours we will all be reunited – one people, embraced and united. The military pressure we applied over the past two years, together with the complementary diplomatic measures, constitutes a victory over Hamas. We will continue to act in order to shape a security reality that ensures the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians.”
According to sources, Hamas will release the hostages, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive, in three different groups through the International Red Cross. The first two groups are likely to be released by 10:30 am, and the third group an hour later. However, an Israeli military official said that not all dead hostages held by Hamas are expected to return today. “Unfortunately, this is something we anticipate that not all fallen hostages will be returned,” he said.
Israel, on the other hand, has published a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners that it plans to release, along with 1,700 Gazans detained since 2023.
Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan
Trump, who invested significantly in efforts to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and left the US-ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage, had proposed a 20-point peace plan – of which Israel and Hamas agreed to a few points. These include: Ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, aid and recovery efforts, and opposition to Palestinian expulsion from the territory.
Part of the plan was implemented last week when Israel agreed to the ceasefire and withdrew forces from parts of Gaza. It also allowed displaced families to begin returning to their homes.
Trump will be on a two-day visit to Israel and Egypt to celebrate the ceasefire and urge Middle East allies to seize the opportunity to build a durable peace in the volatile region. He will also chair a summit with more than 20 countries in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt – aiming to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”.
There was no immediate word whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend the meeting. Hamas, however, said it will not attend the event as it had “acted principally through Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during the peace talks.
