Trump says ‘war is over’ in Gaza as Israel awaits release of hostages | Donald Trump

The war in Gaza is over and the Middle East will “normalize,” Donald Trump said Sunday on his flight to Israel, which is waiting for Hamas to release Israeli hostages as world leaders meet to discuss next steps toward peace.

“The war is over, you understand that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began his flight from Washington DC to Israel.

Asked about the outlook for the region, Trump said: “I think the situation will normalize. »

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds in Gaza for the third day on Sunday, ahead of the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and Trump’s planned speech to the Israeli parliament.

Thousands of Palestinians continued to head north toward Gaza City, the focus of Israeli attacks over the past two months, in hopes that the ceasefire would end the war.

“Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path. A path of construction, a path of healing and, I hope, a path of uniting hearts,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

This optimism was widely shared.

“There is a lot of joy among the people,” said Abdou Abu Seada, a Gaza resident, who added that the joy was tempered by exhaustion after two years of war that destroyed much of Gaza.

Government spokesman Shosh Bedrosian said Israel expected the hostages to begin being freed early Monday morning and that all 20 living hostages would be released together.

In the event that hostages were released early, Israel would be ready to receive them, she said. Their release will later be followed by the handover of the bodies of the 28 other deceased hostages.

In accordance with the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is to release the remaining hostages at noon on Monday. They were captured on October 7, 2023 when the group’s militants launched the surprise attack on Israel that sparked the war.

Israel will also release 1,700 Palestinians detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023, as well as 22 Palestinian minors, as well as the bodies of 360 activists. Bedrosian said the prisoners would be released once the live hostages reached Israeli territory.

Israeli hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch said Thursday that a task force would be formed to help find the remains of any dead hostages that Hamas could not locate.

Trump is due to arrive in Israel on Monday to address the Knesset, the parliament, before traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for a summit of world leaders on ending the war in Gaza.

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, will also attend the summit, an Axios reporter said on Sunday, citing a senior Palestinian official.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke Saturday at a rally in Tel Aviv that many Israelis hoped would be the final call for the release of the hostages and an end to the war. The United States, alongside Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, mediated what was described as a first-phase deal between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas and prisoners and detainees by Israel.

“For two years, we [have been] I’m waiting for this day, this moment… We are all happy for the family, for the hostages, that finally… we will see them,” said protester Dalia Yosef, thanking Trump.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that once the hostages were returned, the army would destroy the underground tunnels built by Hamas in Gaza. Palestinians returning to northern Gaza described widespread devastation. Rescuers warned there could be unexploded ordnance and bombs in the area.

Amjad al-Shawa, who heads a Palestinian organization that coordinates with humanitarian groups, estimated that 300,000 tents were needed to temporarily shelter 1.5 million displaced Gazans.

“We couldn’t believe the destruction we saw,” Rami Mohammad-Ali, 37, said by phone after walking 15 km (9.5 miles) with his son from Deir al-Balah to Gaza City.

“We are happy to return to Gaza [City] but at the same time we feel bitter about the destruction,” he said, describing seeing human remains scattered along the roads.