Trump Hails 'Tremendous Day for Middle East' as Leaders Sign Gaza Declaration

US President Donald Trump hailed a “tremendous day for the Middle East” as he and regional leaders signed a declaration to solidify a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners.

Making a lightning visit to Israel, Trump praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to parliament before flying to Egypt for a Gaza summit, where he joined the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey in signing the declaration on Monday as guarantors of the ceasefire deal.

“This is a tremendous day for the world, it’s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” Trump said as more than two dozen world leaders convened in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. He later declared that the assembled leaders had “achieved what everybody said was impossible.”

“At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Trump added in his speech.

According to the declaration, the signatories pledged to “pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region” and welcomed “the progress achieved in establishing comprehensive and durable peace arrangements in the Gaza Strip.”

However, the statement — released in full by the White House on Monday night — offered few details about the next steps toward peace between Israel and its neighbors, including the Palestinians, and made no mention of a one- or two-state solution.

“We’re talking about rebuilding Gaza. I’m not talking about single state or double state or two state,” Trump told reporters on his flight back to Washington.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described the Gaza agreement as one that “closes a painful chapter in human history” and sets the stage for a two-state solution.

As part of Trump’s peace plan, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it had held for two years in Gaza, while Israel released 1,968 mostly Palestinian prisoners from its jails, according to the Israeli prison service.

“For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace,” Trump told Israel’s parliament, where he received a standing ovation. “Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”

In Tel Aviv, crowds gathered in support of hostage families erupted in joy and tears as news of the releases broke, though grief lingered for those who had not survived. In Ramallah, thousands celebrated the return of freed prisoners, chanting “Allahu akbar” in jubilation, while in Gaza’s Khan Yunis, residents climbed atop Red Cross buses to embrace loved ones returning home.

“Welcome home,” Israel’s foreign ministry posted on social media, celebrating the hostages’ return.

Videos released by the Israeli military captured raw moments of reunion — among them, Einav Zangauker embracing her smiling son Matan, crying, “My life, you are my life... you are a hero.”

Under the ceasefire, Hamas is also set to return the bodies of 27 hostages who died in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Of the released prisoners, about 250 were convicted security detainees, while roughly 1,700 had been detained by Israeli forces during the war.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants had taken 251 hostages in an unprecedented attack on Israel that left 1,219 people dead, most of them civilians. All but 47 of those hostages were freed in earlier truces.

In Gaza, the ceasefire brought relief but also underscored the immense humanitarian crisis. Israel’s offensive left at least 67,869 people dead, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry, which the UN deems credible.

“The greatest joy is seeing my whole family gathered to welcome me,” said 25-year-old Yusef Afana, one of the released prisoners from northern Gaza. “I spent 10 months in prison — some of the hardest days I’ve ever lived.”

In Ramallah, newly freed prisoner Mahdi Ramadan described his release as “a new birth” while being surrounded by his cheering parents and supporters.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called for urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying on social media: “Time to let in humanitarian aid at scale, including through UNRWA.”

Still, challenges remain. Hamas has refused to disarm, while Israel has yet to commit to a full withdrawal from Gaza — key issues that could complicate the peace process.

Trump expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold, saying at a joint appearance with Sisi that talks on the next phase had already “started, as far as we’re concerned.”

The US president had announced a 20-point Gaza plan in late September that paved the way for the truce. He briefly met Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas at the summit — which neither Israeli nor Hamas representatives attended — before departing in the evening.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem urged Trump and other mediators to “continue monitoring Israel’s conduct and ensure it does not resume its aggression against our people.”