‘Peace in the Middle East for the first time in 3,000 years’: Trump touts Gaza plan
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday said there is no need for significant changes to the Gaza peace plan, stating that all parties are largely in agreement and suggesting that hostages held in Gaza could be released “almost immediately.”
Speaking to reporters outside the White House before his departure, President Trump was asked whether there would be any changes to the plan. In response, he said:
“We have very little, we don't need flexibility because everybody's pretty much agreed to it, but there'll always be some changes. But the Hamas plan, I tell you, it's amazing. You're going to have peace, if you think about it – peace in the Middle East for the first time in, they say really 3,000 years. So, I'm very honoured to be a big part of that. They've been fighting for a plan for years.”
“We get the hostages back almost immediately. Negotiations are going on right now. Will probably take a couple of days and people are very happy about it.”
“It's a great deal for Israel and it's a great deal for everybody. It's a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the White House echoed the optimism, saying:
“There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
However, it remains unclear what the President meant by the “first phase”, or whether he was indicating that a release of hostages could begin this week, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that he was hopeful hostages could be freed during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which begins on Monday evening and lasts for one week. The holiday is followed by Simhat Torah, which this year coincides with the anniversary of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.