Trump is in Israel to tout a ceasefire he believes could foster lasting
Middle East peace
[October 13, 2025]
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and CHRIS MEGERIAN
JERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump was in Israel on Monday to
celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel
and Hamas before continuing on to Egypt for a key summit that he hopes
will solidify an end to the war and pave the way for a more durable
peace in the Middle East.
“This is a great day, this is a whole new beginning,” Trump told
reporters after arriving at the Knesset. “And I think there’s never been
an event like it, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
He received several standing ovations from Israeli lawmakers as he
prepared to give a speech after meeting with the families of hostages.
He may also stop at the Sheba Medical Center to meet some of the
hostages themselves.
Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to
end the conflict that began with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led
militants. By early afternoon, Israel also began to release Palestinian
prisoners.
There was talk of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining Trump
in Egypt, along with more than two dozen other leaders. Egypt even
announced his attendance after Netanyahu spoke with Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
However, Netanyahu's office said later that he would not be going
because the summit was too close to the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
‘Historic dawn of a new Middle East’
Trump plans to declare “the historic dawn of a new Middle East” in his
speech at the Knesset and that “generations from now, this will be
remembered as the moment that everything began to change,” according to
excerpts released by the White House.
Trump will also insist that “Israel has won all that can be won by force
of arms" and “it is time to translate these victories against terrorists
on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity."
In a gesture to Iran, which fought a brief war with Israel earlier this
year, Trump plans to say that “the hand of friendship and cooperation is
always open.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu greeted Trump on the tarmac
as a military band played. In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the site of
continuous demonstrations during two years of war, the crowd cheered for
Trump.
Amir Ohana, the Knesset speaker, welcomed Trump to the parliament by
saying “we’ve been longing for this day.” Some people in the gallery
wore red hats that said ”Trump, The Peace President."
A fragile moment
The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early
stages of implementing the first phase of Trump's plan.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the
final 48 hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a
partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.
With families overjoyed at the impending reunions and Palestinians eager
for a surge of humanitarian assistance, Trump thinks there is a narrow
window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between
Israel and its Arab neighbors.
[to top of second column]
|
President Donald Trump enters the Knesset, Israel's parliament, with
Israel's President Isaac Herzog and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, right, before he speaks Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in
Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)
“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him
aboard Air Force One.
“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he
believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.
The Republican president said the chance of peace was enabled by his
administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies,
including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and
Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the
broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some
cases, deepening relations with the United States.
In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into
what he called “ the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday
aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.
“I don’t know about the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s
blasted. This is like a demolition site.” But he said he hoped to
one day visit the territory. “I’d like to put my feet on it, at
least,” he said.
Trump will visit Israel first to meet with hostages' families and
address the Knesset, or parliament, an honor last extended to
President George W. Bush in 2008.
On to Egypt
The president then will continue on to Egypt, where Trump and el-Sissi
will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20
countries on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.
Both Israel and Egypt announced that Trump would receive their
counties' highest civilian honors.
The truce remains tenuous and the sides have not agreed on Gaza’s
postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s
demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break
down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its
demands are not met.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and the territory’s roughly
2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions.
Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which
will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts
of which are experiencing famine.
Roughly 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire
deal as part of a team that includes partner nations,
nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.
___
Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Will
Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
