Trump Plans Egypt Trip as Gaza Hostage Release Expected Early Next Week
WASHINGTON, Oct 9: US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he plans to travel to Egypt next week for the official signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, saying he expects Hamas to release the remaining hostages by Monday or Tuesday as part of the landmark deal.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump declared that the newly brokered accord between Israel and Hamas had “ended the war in Gaza” and could pave the way for broader peace across the Middle East.
“We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday,” Trump said, while acknowledging that recovering the bodies of some hostages who were killed “would be hard to find.”
The ceasefire agreement facilitated by Egypt and the United States marks the first major breakthrough in months of indirect negotiations aimed at halting the devastating conflict in Gaza.
Trump confirmed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had invited him to attend a “celebration in Egypt” marking the signing of the ceasefire.
“I’m going to try and make a trip over,” Trump said. “We’re working on the timing the exact timing.”
The US leader also said he had been invited to deliver a speech before the Israeli Knesset, adding, “They asked me to speak, and if they would like me to, I will do it.”
While Trump claimed he would be the first US president to address Israel’s parliament, historical records show that George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter have all spoken there previously.
Trump gave limited details about the second phase of the peace initiative but hinted at security arrangements and reconstruction efforts.
“There will be disarming, there will be pullbacks,” he said, suggesting Israel would demand Hamas’s disarmament while Palestinians would seek an Israeli withdrawal.
He added that Gaza would be “slowly redone,” with wealthy Arab states expected to contribute to rebuilding and potentially participate in peacekeeping operations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Trump’s efforts, saying the agreement was the result of months of intense, high-stakes diplomacy.
“Frankly, I don’t know of any American president in the modern era that could have made this possible,” Rubio said.
Rubio noted that Trump personally pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while coordinating with Arab and Muslim nations to bring Hamas to the negotiating table.
“The president had some extraordinary phone calls and meetings that required a high degree of intensity and commitment,” Rubio said. “One day, perhaps the entire story will be told.”
Trump did not directly address whether he expects the deal to earn him the Nobel Peace Prize, though some regional leaders, including El-Sisi, have already praised his role in brokering the ceasefire.
If the agreement holds, it could mark the most significant diplomatic achievement of Trump’s presidency and a potential turning point in one of the world’s most entrenched conflicts.
— Voice of Malaysia News