The US President has talked to journalists before heading to Israel for hostage releases
US President Donald Trump declared to reporters on Sunday that the war in Gaza “is over.”
He has just boarded Air Force One, taking off for Israel ahead of the hostage releases tomorrow.
Trump is expected to address Israel’s parliament as well as meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the families of the hostages. Later, leaders from more than 20 countries will join the US president in Egypt for a summit on Gaza’s future. Israel and Hamas representatives will not be attending the ceremony.
”The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” Trump said when asked if he was confident that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group was finished.
Trump will be accompanied on his visit to the region by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, along with a host of other high-ranking administration officials.
“Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time. This is a very special event…Everybody’s cheering at one time. That’s never happened before,” he told reporters.
According to the deal unveiled by President Trump in late September, all 48 Israeli hostages, dead and alive, will be recovered from the enclave. The Israeli army is expecting to receive living hostages around 8 a.m. Monday from 3 sites in Gaza. Bodies of dead hostages expected later. Israel is in turn required to free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained since 2023.
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