United States President Donald Trump, alongside the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, has signed a landmark declaration aimed at restoring peace to Gaza.
The agreement was sealed at a high-profile summit in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
“A new and beautiful day is rising, and now the rebuilding begins,” Trump said, praising regional partners for their roles in brokering the truce between Israel and Hamas.
The peace deal marks the first phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, which includes the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 detainees held by Israel during two years of military operations.
In return, Hamas released the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages and returned the bodies of 28 others.
Trump Celebrated as ‘Peace President’
During the summit, President Trump stood beside Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and over 20 other global leaders.
Al-Sisi hailed the day as a “historic milestone that ends an agonising chapter,” before awarding Trump the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest honour.
“Everybody’s happy,” Trump said, beaming as he described the deal as one of his greatest achievements. “This took 3,000 years to get to this point, can you believe it? And it’s going to hold up too.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also attended the summit — a notable moment following the US decision to bar him from the UN General Assembly the previous week.
Ceasefire Marks ‘Dawn of a New Middle East’
Earlier in Jerusalem, Trump addressed the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, declaring to cheering lawmakers that “the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”
Introducing Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described him as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
He thanked Trump for his “unremitting help” in securing the return of hostages captured during Hamas’s October 2023 attacks.
Trump, flanked by senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, said the ceasefire represented “the most challenging breakthrough of them all.”
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Members of the Knesset wore red caps reading “Trump the Peace President,” as chants of “Trump, Trump, Trump” echoed through the chamber.
Negotiations Enter Second Phase
While the ceasefire officially took effect on Friday, Trump said the next stages of his 20-point peace plan were underway. He announced the creation of a “board of peace,” which he would personally chair to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and governance.
Despite the optimism, questions remain about the role of the Palestinian Authority in post-war Gaza.
Trump, reflecting on private talks with Netanyahu, said he had urged the Israeli leader to halt the military campaign before it became “bad” and “heated.”
“I said, ‘Bibi, you’re going to be remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going — kill, kill, kill,’” Trump recalled.
The American president ended his address by hinting at his next diplomatic challenge: “Now that Gaza is at peace, we turn to ending the war in Ukraine.”
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
