‘We ended the war’: Trump acclaims peace deal on Israel-Gaza conflict

7 hours ago 3

London: US President Donald Trump has forecast a “lasting peace” in Gaza in a deal to end bitter warfare that has killed thousands over the past two years, raising hopes that the outcome will go beyond a fragile ceasefire that might collapse into further fighting.

Israel appears set to welcome hostages home from captivity under Hamas as soon as Monday or Tuesday, clearing the way for Palestinian prisoners to be released.

However, there is no public guarantee that Hamas will relinquish its weapons despite clear demands from Israel for steps towards disarmament in order to justify its commitment to withdraw from almost half of Gaza.

While the terms of the peace deal are yet to be revealed, Trump spoke in Washington DC as if the outcome were assured and said he expected to head to the Middle East to seal the agreement this weekend.

“Last night we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East, something that people said was never going to be done,” the president said during a cabinet meeting in the US capital.

“We ended the war in Gaza and, really, on a much bigger basis, created peace. And I think it’s going to be a lasting peace, hopefully an everlasting peace.

Palestinians rejoice following the announcement of a peace plan. However, celebrations remain limited, as relief is mixed with mourning and concern for what comes next.

People in Tel Aviv celebrating the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting.

“We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday.

“Getting them is a complicated process. I’d rather not tell you what they’ve got to do to get them. They’re in places you don’t want to be.”

Trump spoke on Thursday afternoon in Washington DC (4am Friday AEDT) after several days of negotiations at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where his envoys joined representatives from Israel, Hamas, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip hold posters with portraits of their loved ones Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

Palestinians celebrate following the peace plan announcement outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Thursday.

Asked whether Hamas would disarm, Trump said that would be part of “phase two” of the peace plan and was not specific. “There will be disarming,” he told reporters. Hamas is designated a terrorist group in Australia and many other countries.

Trump provoked strong criticism in some quarters in February when he described Gaza as a “big real estate site” and suggested it could be developed after Palestinians were sent elsewhere, but he said on Thursday that nobody would be forced to leave Gaza under the peace plan.

Exiled Hamas Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said on Thursday the group has received guarantees from the United States, Arab mediators and Turkey that the war on Gaza has permanently ended.

US President Donald Trump said the remaining hostages held in Gaza “should be released on Monday or Tuesday”.

He said that Israel and Hamas had “reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people” and that he had received confirmation that the initial pause would lead to a sustained ceasefire.

Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan told Qatari broadcaster Al Araby that Hamas rejected the US proposal for a “board of peace” including former British prime minister Tony Blair to run Gaza, a key element of a 20-point plan Trump unveiled on September 30.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signalled high hopes for an agreement before he convened a security cabinet meeting and a full cabinet meeting to decide the terms his government was willing to accept.

“We have hit a critical point in this war,” his spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, said in a televised statement.

There was jubilation in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

“From day one in this war, the prime minister laid out three objectives: the return of all of our hostages, the defeat and dismantling of Hamas and ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

“All of the prime minister’s objectives have now been achieved.”

Bedrosian said Netanyahu had approved the first stage of the peace plan and expected the release of all 48 hostages, some of whom have died in captivity after being taken in the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

A ceasefire is expected to begin within 24 hours of the Israeli cabinet meeting.

Bedrosian described the terms as the approved “first phase” of the peace plan, however, and made it clear that other agreements would be required for a permanent end to the hostilities.

Hospitals were ready to accept the hostages from Monday, she said, and there would be no tolerance for Hamas “parading” the Israeli prisoners as it had done in the past.

The families of the hostages acclaimed the peace negotiations and praised Trump for the results so far, although former hostage Omer Shem Tov warned it was too soon to assume the outcome.

“With all the joy and happiness, I have to say – this isn’t over yet,” said Shem Tov, who was held by Hamas for 505 days after being kidnapped at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

“Let’s keep praying, sending positive energy, keep fighting until they all come back.”

Israel will not release the bodies of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammad, CNN reported on Thursday. It also said it would not release a high-profile Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, who has been held for more than two decades over his role in the killings of Israeli civilians.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on securing the peace, just as Norwegian authorities prepare to announce the recipient for this year’s prize in Oslo on Friday.

The rapid developments in the Gaza talks appear unlikely to influence the award, however, because the Norwegian Nobel Committee said the decision on this year’s winner had already been made.

“The last meeting of the Nobel Committee took place on Monday,” Erik Aasheim, spokesman for the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told Agence France Press.

Netanyahu’s office backed Trump for the award on social media, saying: “Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it!”

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also said Trump “deserves the Nobel Peace Prize” for the peace deal, according to a statement reported by news service Anadolu Agency.

Trump said he had been asked to speak to the Knesset, the parliament of Israel, when he visits the Middle East.

French President Emmanuel Macron backed the Trump plan when he emerged from a meeting in Paris with foreign ministers from France, Egypt, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

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