U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Israel on Monday for meetings with families of hostages and to address lawmakers in the Knesset before proceeding to Egypt for a summit on Gaza.
Trump was received at Ben Gurion International Airport by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He arrived shortly after seven hostages released by Hamas militants were handed over to the Israeli army through the Red Cross.
Hamas has announced that all 20 remaining living hostages in Gaza would be released on Monday in exchange for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump declared that the war between Israel and Hamas “is over.”
The U.S. President is expected to co-chair a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh later on Monday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi.
According to the Egyptian presidency, the summit seeks to consolidate the fragile ceasefire brokered by Trump and to promote lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres are among those confirmed to attend the event.
(NAN)