Trump Arrives In Egypt For Gaza Summit After Urging Israel To Seize A Chance For Peace

SHARM EL SHEIKH: President Donald Trump arrived in Egypt on Monday for a global summit on the future of Gaza as he seeks to advance peace in the Middle East after visiting Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.

The whirlwind trip, which included a speech to the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, coincides with a fragile moment of hope for an end to the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.

“Everybody said it wasn’t possible to do this. And it’s going to happen. And it’s happening before your eyes,” Trump said alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Nearly three dozen countries, including Europe and the Middle East, are represented at the summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited, but his office declined, saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

Despite unanswered questions about the next steps in conflict-ravaged Gaza, Trump is determined to seize the opportunity to pursue elusive regional harmony.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put old fights and bitter hatreds behind us and declare that our future will not be governed by the fights of past generations,” Trump plans to say during the summit, according to quotes released by the White House.

He expressed a similar sense of certainty about the war in his speech to the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero.

“You won,” he told Israeli lawmakers. “Now is the time to turn these battlefield victories against terrorists into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza and called on Palestinians to “turn away from the path of terror and violence once and for all.”

“After tremendous suffering, death and hardship,” he said, “now is the time to focus on rebuilding Israel’s people rather than trying to destroy them.”

Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear facilities during the short war with Israel earlier this year, saying “friendship and cooperation are always open.”

Trump on a whirlwind trip to the Middle East Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because his speeches in the Knesset took longer than expected.

After needling Israeli leaders for talking so much, Trump joked, “They might not be there when I get there, but we’ll try anyway.”

20 hostages were released on Monday as part of the agreement aimed at ending the war that began with an attack by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023. Trump met with some families in the Knesset.

“Your name will be remembered for generations,” a woman told him.

Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump’s name and gave him a standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” hats, but those versions said “Trump, President of Peace.”

Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House” and promised to work with him in the future.

“Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am also committed to this peace,” he said. “And Mr. President, we will achieve this peace together.”

Trump took an unexpected detour during his speech, calling on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as “one of the greatest leaders” of wartime. Although Netanyahu faces corruption charges, many hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.

The Republican president also used the opportunity for political reckoning, thanking his supporters, criticizing his Democratic predecessors and praising Miriam Adelson, a top donor in the audience.

Trump is trying to reshape the region Israel and Hamas remain fragile at the moment, as they are still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump’s plan.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the last hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; increased humanitarian aid to Gaza; and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

Trump said it was a window to reshape the region and reset long-tense relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“The war is over, okay?” Trump told reporters he was traveling with him on Air Force One.

Emphasizing that he believes the ceasefire will continue for this reason, he said, “I think people are tired of it.”

He said the chance for peace was made possible by the Republican administration’s support for Israel’s destruction of Iran’s proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House said momentum was building as Arab and Muslim states showed a renewed focus on resolving the broader decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.

In February, Trump predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped and called the “Riviera of the Middle East.” But he was more circumspect on Air Force One on Sunday.

“I haven’t known about Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It exploded. This place looks like a demolition site.” But he said he hopes to visit the area one day. “I at least want to keep my feet on the ground,” he said.

The parties did not agree on the post-war administration of Gaza, the reconstruction of the region, and Israel’s demand for the disarmament of Hamas. Negotiations on these issues may fail, and Israel has hinted that it may continue military operations if its demands are not met.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the region’s nearly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the agreement, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings to help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, where parts of the country are experiencing shortages.

Approximately 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire agreement as part of a team that includes partner countries, nongovernmental organizations and private sector players.

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Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.