Trump asserts Gaza’s war is over as he is departing to Middle East

(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump declared Sunday that the conflict in Gaza had officially ended as he departed for a diplomatic visit to Israel and Egypt ahead of an international peace conference focused on the ceasefire agreement.

“The war is over, okay? You understand that?” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One shortly after taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on his way to Tel Aviv. His comment came in response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not yet acknowledging the conflict’s conclusion.

Trump expressed confidence that the truce—based on a 20-point proposal he introduced the previous Wednesday—would remain in place.

“(There are) a lot of reasons why it's going to hold. But I think people are tired of it. It's been centuries, not just recent. It's been centuries,” he said.

Discussing the formation of a “Board of Peace,” intended to oversee Gaza’s administration as the agreement moves forward, Trump noted that the body would be created “very quickly” but said it was uncertain whether former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would take part.

“First, I want to find out that Tony would be popular with all, because I just don't know that,” he remarked.

He added that reconstruction in Gaza—particularly clearing destroyed areas and debris—would commence “immediately,” though the process could take years to complete.

“You have to get people taken care of first. But it’s going to start, really, essentially, immediately. They’re going to have to start by removing a lot of the structures that you see that are down to the ground…It’s blasted. This is like a demolition site. Almost the entire site is,” Trump said.

His statements came as he began his journey to Israel and Egypt ahead of the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit on the Gaza ceasefire.

“Everybody's very excited about this moment in time. This is the first time everybody is amazed and they're thrilled, and it's an honor to be involved, and we're going to have an amazing time,” he told reporters before takeoff.

According to reports, Trump is traveling with several top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. The delegation will first arrive in Israel before continuing to Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to co-chair the international summit aimed “to end the war in the Gaza Strip.”

The president is expected to land in Tel Aviv at 9:20 a.m. local time Monday, meet with families of Israeli hostages, and deliver remarks before the Knesset. He will then fly to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will preside over the peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh later in the day.

Over 20 world leaders are anticipated to attend, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Egypt stated that the summit’s purpose is “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan, unveiled last week, outlines a phased approach: the first stage—already in effect since Friday—includes releasing all Israeli hostages in return for about 2,000 Palestinian detainees, alongside a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The second stage envisions forming a new governing authority in Gaza that excludes Hamas, deploying an international peacekeeping force, and overseeing Hamas’ disarmament.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed more than 67,600 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, leaving much of the territory in ruins.

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