President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the war in Gaza has ended and the Middle East will “normalize”, as he flew to Israel awaiting the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas. World leaders were meeting to discuss next steps toward peace.
“The war is over, do you understand this?” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he departed from Washington to Israel.
Asked about the region’s prospects, Trump added: “I think it will normalize.”
An Israel-Hamas ceasefire had been in place for the third consecutive day on Sunday, ahead of the anticipated release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and a planned address by Trump to the Israeli parliament.
Thousands of Palestinians continued traveling north toward Gaza, a center of Israeli strikes over the past two months, hoping the ceasefire would end the fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement:
“Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new path — a path of reconstruction, healing, and, I hope, a path of uniting hearts.”
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian stated that Israel expected the first group of hostages to be released early Monday morning, including 20 live hostages. The release of the remaining 28 hostages would follow later.
