Trump to visit Egypt, Israel amid Gaza ceasefire agreement
He expresses optimism about Gaza's reconstruction and the ceasefire's durability, while discussions on future governance continue.
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he plans to travel to Cairo and Jerusalem to precede the agreement which halted strikes on Gaza and set the stage for Hamas to release hostages.
Trump added that he would be meeting with “a lot of leaders from all over the world” who had been invited to visit Cairo for a ceremony celebrating the deal between Israel and Hamas, a Bloomberg report read.
The president also plans to address the Knesset, the unicameral legislature of Israel, to mark the agreement, which is expected to draw and end to the two-year-old armed conflict in the region.
Trump expressed optimism that the ceasefire would hold and that Gaza could be rebuilt. “I think it will hold. They’re all tired of the fighting,” he said.
The agreement was secured after negotiations brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey to hammer out the terms of a 20-point peace plan Trump had unveiled last week, the report added.
The president said that he would not spend a long time in the region as he has to return to Washington by Tuesday, where he is about to posthumously award slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Medal of Freedom, United States' highest civilian honor.
Hostages to be released
As Israel said that the ceasefire is in effect as of Thursday, Hamas is expected to free around 20 people that it had taken into hostage during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, along with the remains of more than two dozen who died in captivity.
Israel would also release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, while aid to Gaza will be resumed.
Building Gaza again
Discussions over unresolved issues, including the reconstruction and future governance of Gaza are likely to continue with time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, disarm and have no role in governing the territory, but the militant group has yet to agree.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
