Trump headed to Egypt for Gaza peace summit with other world leaders, including Carney

Living hostages released by islamic resistance movement, some Palestinians freed as ruff visits state of israel

What's expected at the Egypt summit on the future of Gaza?

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Rosemary Barton speaks with a Palestinian Canadian about his hopes for the ceasefire

As Trump departs Israel for Egypt, he leaves hope and a degree of hubris over the future in the Middle East.

In his hour-long address to Israel’s parliament Monday, he spoke of a “golden age of the Middle East,” how the sun rose this morning “on a holy land that is finally at peace.” and that “God willing” it “will rest for all eternity”.

Trump went further than some analysts expected to boost Netanyahu’s standing, calling him one of the greatest war-time leaders.

“You are a popular man because you know how to win,” Trump said, then followed up by asking the Israeli president to give Netanyahu a pardon in corruption cases, which was followed by chants of “Bibi, Bibi” inside the Knesset.

But polls show that Netanyahu has lost support during the last two years, accused of putting his own political future ahead of ending the war. In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s speech was not broadcast live; Trump’s was.

In one of his final remarks, Trump said to Israeli lawmakers that “you’ve won”; now’s the time to enjoy the fruits of your labour, he said, which will provoke strong responses.

David Michael Lamb

After an hour-long speech to Israel’s parliament, Trump is now on his way to the Egyptian resort city of Sharm-el Sheikh.

He boarded Air Force one a few minutes ago and it is now about to take off.

World leaders are gathering in Sharm-el Sheikh for a peace summit on Gaza later today. They include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his U.K. Counterpart, Keir Starmer, and Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

What's expected at the Egypt summit on the future of Gaza?

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Carney called the release of the hostages a “moment of profound relief.”

“After over two years of suffering, today, families are finally reunited. For the Jewish people, this is a moment that holds two truths at once – a grief for what cannot be restored, and a fragile light of what might still be repaired,” he said in a statement Monday.

Carney reiterated calls for Hamas to disarm and for a transitional governance to take over in Gaza.

As mentioned earlier, Carney is joining 20 world leaders to witness the peace-plan signing, but also to discuss how rebuilding war-torn Gaza will take place.

Hundreds of people are outside Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, celebrating the arrival of Palestinians who were released from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire deal.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinians are expected to be released by Israeli authorities under the first phase of the agreement. A vast majority of detainees returned to Gaza, while others returned to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Egypt.

Earlier, crowds cheered as two buses carrying dozens of released prisoners arrived in Beitunia in the West Bank.

The freed men, with their heads shaved, descended from the bus, flashing V (for victory) signs; some were lifted onto the shoulders of people in the crowd, while others sank into chairs nearby, exhausted.

An Egyptian official told The Associated Press that 154 Palestinian prisoners who were released and deported by Israel have arrived in Egypt.

Israelis fill every available inch of the square. Concrete barriers, meant to keep the large tents in place, have become pedestals for people hoping for a better view of the screens televising events of the day.

People cried, cheered and hugged when the first group of hostages were taken into the care of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

All of the 20 survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks led by Hamas were freed by midday. Operation Returning Home, as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) dubbed it, brought a sense of unity and jubilation that the thousands in the square said they were desperate for.

For two years, Hostages Square has been where Israelis have gathered to demand that their government end the war in Gaza and get all of the hostages back.

In a way, the crowd did get close to some of the survivors.

Several helicopters circled the square. The crowd erupted. Hands flew into the air, some holding cellphones to capture the moment while others waved madly.

The scene led to more tears and hugs. A woman in a bright orange outfit walked by our TV setup and smiled at us as she said, "What a day, What a day."

Many here today and over the past two years accuse Netanyahu of not ending the war sooner, prolonging the suffering of the hostages, their families and Israeli citizens at large.

It remains unclear when the remains of the 28 Israeli people who had been taken hostage will be returned.

Gal Hirsch, Israel's co-ordinator for the hostages and the missing, told The Associated Press that an international task force will work to locate the bodies of the hostages who are not returned within 72 hours.

Some of the bodies are likely lost in the wreckage of Gaza.

Trump's more than hour-long speech has ended. In it, he made glowing remarks about Israel and Netanyahu, at one point suggesting the prime minister should be pardoned by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud. His trial has been ongoing for years and was paused several times.

"This has been truly an honour," Trump said. "It's seldom that a president is invited to do this and I love Israel. I'm with you all the way. You'll be bigger, better, stronger — and more loving than ever before."

Apart from the interruption by left-wing Knesset member Ayman Odeh, who called for the recognition of a Palestinian state and held up a sign in parliament that said "genocide," the speech made few mentions of Palestinians.

“Together we’ve shown that peace is not just a hope we can dream about; it’s a reality we can build upon day by day, person by person, and nation by nation,” said Trump, who has been speaking for about an hour.

“And because of that, the Middle East is ready to embrace its extraordinary potential.”

In front of Netanyahu’s house, as a few hundred watch the livestream from inside the Knesset, one of the organizers jokes that he should turn off the screen because they don’t really care to hear anything else Netanyahu has to say.

As the speeches continue, there is really only applause when Netanyahu says that the last two years were a time of war, and that now it should be a time of peace both inside and outside Israel.

Netanyahu spent a large portion of his address praising Trump, even saying he should be awarded Israel’s top prize as he didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Looking on is Noa Kali, who is from western Galilee.

“We did not expect that and it's a huge surprise, actually, and a huge joy.”

American-Israeli Yaella Silverman, who moved to Israel a decade ago, says she feels particularly proud of her American roots.

“I feel really grateful to Trump,” she says.

“Thankfully today we have seen success and we've seen joy for the first time in a really long time.”

Trump says the “long and painful nightmare is finally over” for Israelis and Palestinians after the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire began.

"The forces of chaos that have plagued the region are totally defeated," he tells Israel's parliament.

“This long and difficult war has now ended.”

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