Gaza war ‘over’ – Trump
US President Donald Trump declared that the war in Gaza “is over” while speaking to reporters shortly after boarding Air Force One on Sunday for a flight to Israel.
Trump is expected to address the country's parliament as well as meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the families of the hostages taken on October 7, 2023.
Later, leaders from more than 20 countries will join the US president in Egypt for a summit on Gaza’s future. However, representatives of Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas will not be in attenance.
”The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” Trump said when asked if he was confident that the conflict between Israel and Hamas was finished.
Trump will be accompanied on his visit to the region by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, along with a host of other high-ranking administration officials.
“Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time. This is a very special event…Everybody’s cheering at one time. That’s never happened before,” he told reporters.
According to the deal unveiled by Trump in late September, all 48 remaining Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, will be recovered from the enclave.
The Israeli army is expecting to receive the surviving hostages at around 8am Monday from three sites in Gaza.
The bodies of the deceased are expected later. Israel has in turn agreed to free 250 Palestinians currently serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans who have been detained since 2023.
