Trump arrives in Egypt for Gaza Summit, urges Israel to seize chance for peace

President Donald Trump arrived in Egypt on Monday to attend a global summit on the future of Gaza seeking to advance peace in the Middle East after visiting Israel to mark a ceasefire with Hamas brokered by the United States US news agency AP reportedPresident Donald J Trump arrives in Sharm ElSheikh Egypt for the second leg of his trip ahead of the Peace Summit pictwittercomtT8POxnlipmdash The White House WhiteHouse October 13 2025The whirlwind trip which included a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending over two years of conflict between Israel and HamasMore than two dozen countries are expected to be represented at the summit cohosted by Trump and Egyptian President AbdelFattah elSissi Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined with his office citing proximity to a Jewish holiday behind his decision to skip the summit AP reportedDespite lingering questions over the next steps in Gaza which has been devastated during the conflict Trump appeared determined to seize an opportunity to foster regional stabilityldquoYoursquove wonrdquo he told Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset which welcomed him as a hero ldquoNow it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle Eastrdquo President Trump addedHe also pledged to help rebuild Gaza and urged Palestinians to ldquoturn forever from the path of terror and violencerdquo AP reportedldquoAfter tremendous pain and death and hardshiprdquo he said ldquonow is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel downrdquoTrump also made a gesture towards Iran where he bombed three nuclear sites during the countryrsquos brief war with Israel earlier this year stating that ldquothe hand of friendship and cooperation is always openrdquoTrump on whirlwind Middle East tripThe US President arrived in Egypt hours late after speeches at the Knesset ran longer than expectedldquoThey might not be there by the time I get there but wersquoll give it a shotrdquo he joked after teasing Israeli leaders for speaking at lengthTwenty hostages were released on Monday as part of the agreement aimed at ending the war that began on October 7 2023 after Hamas killed more than 1000 IsraelisTrump met some of the families of the hostages at the KnessetldquoYour name will be remembered to generationsrdquo a woman told himIsraeli lawmakers repeatedly chanted Trumprsquos name and gave standing ovations Some attendees wore red hats reminiscent of his ldquoMake America Great Againrdquo caps with slogans reading ldquoTrump The Peace PresidentrdquoGaza ceasefire Netanyahu calls Trump lsquothe greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White HousersquoNetanyahu hailed Trump as ldquothe greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White Houserdquo and vowed to work with him going forwardldquoMr President you are committed to this peace I am committed to this peacerdquo he said adding ldquoAnd together Mr President we will achieve this peacerdquoDuring his speech Trump unexpectedly called on the Israeli President to pardon Netanyahu whom he described as ldquoone of the greatestrdquo wartime leaders Netanyahu faces corruption charges though several hearings were postponed during the conflict with HamasThe Republican President also took the opportunity to settle political scores and thank supporters criticising Democratic predecessors and acknowledging top donor Miriam Adelson who was present in the audienceGaza ceasefire Trump pushes to reshape the regionThe situation in the region remains delicate despite the ceasefire Israel and Hamas are still implementing the first phase of Trumprsquos planThe initial phase of the ceasefire agreement includes the release of the remaining 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 Gazarsquos main citiesTrump has said there is a window to reshape the region and reset longstrained relations between Israel and Arab neighboursldquoThe war is over OKrdquo Trump told reporters travelling with him aboard Air Force One ldquoI think people are tired of itrdquo he added emphasising that he believed the ceasefire would holdHe attributed the opportunity for peace to his Republican administrationrsquos support for Israelrsquos efforts against Iranian proxies including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in LebanonThe White House noted that momentum is building as Arab and Muslim states focus on resolving the broader IsraeliPalestinian conflict and in some cases deepening ties with the USIn February Trump had predicted Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called ldquothe Riviera of the Middle Eastrdquo On Sunday aboard Air Force One he was more cautiousldquoI donrsquot know about the Riviera for a whilerdquo Trump said ldquoItrsquos blasted This is like a demolition siterdquo He added that he hoped to visit Gaza one day ldquoIrsquod like to put my feet on it at leastrdquo he saidThe sides have not yet agreed on Gazarsquos postwar governance reconstruction or Israelrsquos demand that Hamas disarm Negotiations could break down and Israel has indicated it may resume military operations if its demands are not metMuch of Gaza remains in ruins and its roughly 2 million residents continue to face desperate conditions Under the deal Israel has agreed to reopen five border crossings easing the flow of food and supplies into Gaza where parts are experiencing famineAround 200 US troops will help monitor the ceasefire working alongside partner nations nongovernmental organisations and privatesector playersWith AP inputs