Australia lavishes praise on Trump for Gaza peace deal
Australia has praised US President Donald Trump’s “incredible achievement” in ending Israel’s war in Gaza and securing the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas.
The 20 hostages who survived Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023 were released first to the Red Cross and then to the Israeli army.
Video footage shows prisoners hugging their families and celebrating their freedom after two years of captivity.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said it was a “wonderful day” after a “terrible tragedy”.
“This is an incredible achievement for Donald Trump and one that will be very much remembered by history,” he told Sky News on Tuesday.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were also released by Israel.
There was a sticking point when Hamas announced that only the bodies of four dead hostages would be returned, in violation of their commitment to hand over the remains of all captured Israelis.
Despite the disruption, the return of the living hostages has been celebrated in many parts of the world, while Australian Jews are optimistic it could lead to long-term peace.
Melbourne’s Jewish community packed into Caulfield’s Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Center to sing, dance and watch a live broadcast of scenes in Israel.
A crowd of about 1,000 people cheered when Air Force One touched down at Ben Gurion Airport carrying Mr. Trump, who spoke to the Knesset after helping broker a ceasefire.
Eda Klapisch, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, said her sense of relief was tinged with “terrible sadness” over the damage done to Israeli and Palestinian society.
“No one wanted this,” he told AAP.
“No one wanted to be detained for 738 days, no one wanted to be bombed to pieces.
“If we can find peace, the people of Israel will be the first to sign it,” he said.
Israel launched a two-year military offensive on Gaza that killed more than 67,000 people, including nearly 20,000 children, according to Palestinian health officials.
According to Israeli officials, the campaign was launched in response to a surprise attack by Hamas that killed nearly 1,200 people and captured another 250 hostages.
Ms Klapisch, who was born in Sydney but has lived in Melbourne for nearly half a century, said she visited the hostages square in Tel Aviv and described the feeling as extraordinary.
“I’m not Donald Trump’s biggest fan, but I’m grateful for what he’s done for us,” he said.
“Thank God he had the ability to take that final step.”
Malka Lawrence said the moment was a “huge relief” mixed with “disbelief” at the inaction of local and international politicians over the past two years.
“They could have stopped all this,” he said, noting that not all hostages were returned alive.
“So there is tremendous gratitude… but there is still a shocking horror that we had to go through those two years.”
But the Melburnian was confident that the Jewish community around the world could let bygones be bygones.
“They are great at forgiving and forgetting,” Ms. Lawrence said.
“Look at our relationship with Germany. We’re moving on and we’re an incredibly resilient people.”
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