On October 12, President Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, embarked on what he called a “very special trip” to Israel and Egypt.
“The fighting is over. Everyone understands that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked whether he believed the war between Israel and Hamas had truly ended. He affirmed that the ceasefire in Gaza would hold, adding, “The conflict has gone on for centuries, and people are simply exhausted.”
In Israel, Trump is expected to meet with families of hostages held by Hamas and address the country’s parliament. He will then travel to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a peace summit aimed at formally ending the Gaza conflict and advancing Middle East peace. More than 20 world leaders are expected to attend, though neither Israel nor Hamas will send representatives.
The trip is seen as a symbolic victory following the Gaza peace accord brokered by Trump, which was unveiled in late September as a 20-point plan. “Everyone is very excited about this moment. It’s a very special event,” Trump said before boarding his plane at Joint Base Andrews near Washington.
Challenges remain, as Hamas has refused to disarm and Israel has not pledged a full troop withdrawal from Gaza. Trump said he had received “assurances” from Israel, Hamas, and other key regional players regarding the initial and subsequent stages of the agreement. “I don’t think they will disappoint me,” he noted, adding that his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is very good” despite past disagreements that were “quickly resolved.”
Trump also expressed a personal wish to visit Gaza, saying, “I would be very proud to do that. At the very least, I want to set foot in Gaza.” However, such a visit poses major security challenges, and he did not specify when it might take place.
According to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, a formal document ending the Gaza conflict will be signed at the summit. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected to attend.
On October 9, Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of a ceasefire agreement in Cairo, under which all hostilities would cease and Israel would partially withdraw its forces from Gaza. Both sides agreed to exchange hostages and prisoners, while large-scale humanitarian aid would flow into the enclave to ease the crisis.
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed, citing the Pentagon, that the Israel Defense Forces had completed their withdrawal to the border and were awaiting the scheduled hostage release on October 13. Hamas is expected to release about 20 living hostages in exchange for Israel freeing 250 Palestinian prisoners and about 1,700 Gazans detained since the outbreak of the conflict. The bodies of deceased Israeli hostages will be repatriated later.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF would destroy Hamas’ tunnel network in Gaza once the hostage transfers are completed.