Tuesday, 14 October, 2025
Mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed on Monday with US President Donald Trump a document on the Gaza ceasefire deal hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners in a dramatic end to the two-year war.
Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, addressing the Knesset and praising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before flying to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he joined the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey in signing the Gaza Declaration as guarantors of the fragile truce.
“This is a tremendous day for the world, it’s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” Trump said as more than two dozen world leaders gathered at the summit. “The document will spell out rules and regulations and lots of other things — and it’s going to hold up.”
As part of Trump’s peace plan, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages after two years in captivity, while Israel released 1,968 mostly Palestinian prisoners. “From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” Trump told Israeli lawmakers to a standing ovation.
“For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace,” he said. “Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”
Joy and Tears Across Divides
In Tel Aviv, thousands gathered at Hostages Square erupted into cheers, tears, and song as news of the final releases broke — though sorrow lingered for those who did not return. “I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” said Noga, a relative of one freed hostage.
In Ramallah, massive crowds welcomed buses carrying released prisoners, chanting “Allahu Akbar” in celebration, while in Gaza’s Khan Yunis, residents climbed onto slow-moving Red Cross buses to embrace their returning relatives. “It’s an indescribable feeling, a new birth,” said Mahdi Ramadan, a newly freed Palestinian detainee.
Under the ceasefire, Hamas will also return the bodies of 27 Israeli hostages who died or were killed in captivity, along with the remains of a soldier slain in the 2014 Gaza war. Israel confirmed receiving two bodies on Monday and said it expected more to follow.
Of the nearly 2,000 prisoners freed, around 250 were convicted or accused of security offences, while about 1,700 had been detained during Israel’s Gaza campaign.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 67,800 people, over half of them women and children — figures the UN considers credible.
A ‘New Birth’ — and New Challenges
“The greatest joy is seeing my family gathered to welcome me,” said 25-year-old Yusef Afana, a freed prisoner from northern Gaza. “I spent 10 months in prison — some of the hardest days I’ve ever lived.”
Despite the ceasefire, the road ahead remains uncertain. Hamas has refused to disarm, and Israel has yet to commit to a full withdrawal from the devastated territory. Still, Trump expressed confidence that the truce would endure, telling reporters alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, “It’s started — as far as we’re concerned, phase two has begun.”
Trump credited Sisi, along with Qatar and Turkey, for being “very instrumental” in the mediation, while Sisi in turn called Trump “the only one capable of bringing peace to our region.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also met briefly with Trump at the summit, though neither Israel nor Hamas attended. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem urged the mediators to “monitor Israel’s conduct and ensure it does not resume aggression against our people.”
Trump said his 20-point Gaza peace plan — unveiled in late September — had helped make the ceasefire possible. The Gaza Declaration, signed Monday by the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, commits the parties to support reconstruction, maintain the truce, and guide Gaza’s political future.
‘A Tremendous Day for the World’
“The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” Trump told the Knesset.
For many Israelis and Palestinians, the sentiment was both hopeful and fragile — a moment of relief shadowed by grief.
In Gaza, much of the territory lies in ruins, with hundreds of thousands displaced and aid agencies warning of famine. Yet amid the wreckage, families reunited, waving flags and weeping in each other’s arms.
“It’s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” Trump repeated in Sharm el-Sheikh, holding up the freshly signed declaration. “Now the rebuilding begins.”
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Mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed on Monday with US President Donald Trump a document on the Gaza ceasefire deal hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners in a dramatic end to the two-year war.
Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, addressing the Knesset and praising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before flying to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he joined the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey in signing the Gaza Declaration as guarantors of the fragile truce.
“This is a tremendous day for the world, it’s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” Trump said as more than two dozen world leaders gathered at the summit. “The document will spell out rules and regulations and lots of other things — and it’s going to hold up.”
As part of Trump’s peace plan, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages after two years in captivity, while Israel released 1,968 mostly Palestinian prisoners. “From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” Trump told Israeli lawmakers to a standing ovation.
“For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace,” he said. “Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”
Joy and Tears Across Divides
In Tel Aviv, thousands gathered at Hostages Square erupted into cheers, tears, and song as news of the final releases broke — though sorrow lingered for those who did not return. “I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” said Noga, a relative of one freed hostage.
In Ramallah, massive crowds welcomed buses carrying released prisoners, chanting “Allahu Akbar” in celebration, while in Gaza’s Khan Yunis, residents climbed onto slow-moving Red Cross buses to embrace their returning relatives. “It’s an indescribable feeling, a new birth,” said Mahdi Ramadan, a newly freed Palestinian detainee.
Under the ceasefire, Hamas will also return the bodies of 27 Israeli hostages who died or were killed in captivity, along with the remains of a soldier slain in the 2014 Gaza war. Israel confirmed receiving two bodies on Monday and said it expected more to follow.
Of the nearly 2,000 prisoners freed, around 250 were convicted or accused of security offences, while about 1,700 had been detained during Israel’s Gaza campaign.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 67,800 people, over half of them women and children — figures the UN considers credible.
A ‘New Birth’ — and New Challenges
“The greatest joy is seeing my family gathered to welcome me,” said 25-year-old Yusef Afana, a freed prisoner from northern Gaza. “I spent 10 months in prison — some of the hardest days I’ve ever lived.”
Despite the ceasefire, the road ahead remains uncertain. Hamas has refused to disarm, and Israel has yet to commit to a full withdrawal from the devastated territory. Still, Trump expressed confidence that the truce would endure, telling reporters alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, “It’s started — as far as we’re concerned, phase two has begun.”
Trump credited Sisi, along with Qatar and Turkey, for being “very instrumental” in the mediation, while Sisi in turn called Trump “the only one capable of bringing peace to our region.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also met briefly with Trump at the summit, though neither Israel nor Hamas attended. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem urged the mediators to “monitor Israel’s conduct and ensure it does not resume aggression against our people.”
Trump said his 20-point Gaza peace plan — unveiled in late September — had helped make the ceasefire possible. The Gaza Declaration, signed Monday by the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, commits the parties to support reconstruction, maintain the truce, and guide Gaza’s political future.
‘A Tremendous Day for the World’
“The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” Trump told the Knesset.
For many Israelis and Palestinians, the sentiment was both hopeful and fragile — a moment of relief shadowed by grief.
In Gaza, much of the territory lies in ruins, with hundreds of thousands displaced and aid agencies warning of famine. Yet amid the wreckage, families reunited, waving flags and weeping in each other’s arms.
“It’s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” Trump repeated in Sharm el-Sheikh, holding up the freshly signed declaration. “Now the rebuilding begins.”
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