Trump in Israel to Tout Ceasefire      10/13 06:17

   President Donald Trump was in Israel on Monday to celebrate the 
U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before 
continuing on to Egypt for a key summit that he hopes will solidify an end to 
the war and pave the way for a more durable peace in the Middle East.

   JERUSALEM (AP) -- President Donald Trump was in Israel on Monday to 
celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas 
before continuing on to Egypt for a key summit that he hopes will solidify an 
end to the war and pave the way for a more durable peace in the Middle East.

   "This is a great day, this is a whole new beginning," Trump told reporters 
after arriving at the Knesset. "And I think there's never been an event like 
it, I've never seen anything like it."

   He received several standing ovations from Israeli lawmakers as he prepared 
to give a speech after meeting with the families of hostages. He may also stop 
at the Sheba Medical Center to meet some of the hostages themselves.

   Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end 
the conflict that began with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants. 
By early afternoon, Israel also began to release Palestinian prisoners.

   There was talk of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining Trump in 
Egypt, along with more than two dozen other leaders. Egypt even announced his 
attendance after Netanyahu spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

   However, Netanyahu's office said later that he would not be going because 
the summit was too close to the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

   'Historic dawn of a new Middle East'

   Trump plans to declare "the historic dawn of a new Middle East" in his 
speech at the Knesset and that "generations from now, this will be remembered 
as the moment that everything began to change," according to excerpts released 
by the White House.

   Trump will also insist that "Israel has won all that can be won by force of 
arms" and "it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the 
battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity."

   In a gesture to Iran, which fought a brief war with Israel earlier this 
year, Trump plans to say that "the hand of friendship and cooperation is always 
open."

   Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu greeted Trump on the tarmac as 
a military band played. In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the site of continuous 
demonstrations during two years of war, the crowd cheered for Trump.

   Amir Ohana, the Knesset speaker, welcomed Trump to the parliament by saying 
"we've been longing for this day." Some people in the gallery wore red hats 
that said "Trump, The Peace President."

   A fragile moment

   The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages 
of implementing the first phase of Trump's plan.

   The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the 
final 48 hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian 
prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial 
pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza's main cities.

   With families overjoyed at the impending reunions and Palestinians eager for 
a surge of humanitarian assistance, Trump thinks there is a narrow window to 
reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab 
neighbors.

   "The war is over, OK?" Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air 
Force One.

   "I think people are tired of it," he said, emphasizing that he believed the 
ceasefire would hold because of that.

   The Republican president said the chance of peace was enabled by his 
administration's support of Israel's decimation of Iranian proxies, including 
Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

   The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim 
states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the 
United States.

   In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he 
called " the Riviera of the Middle East." But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, 
he was more circumspect.

   "I don't know about the Riviera for a while," Trump said. "It's blasted. 
This is like a demolition site." But he said he hoped to one day visit the 
territory. "I'd like to put my feet on it, at least," he said.

   Trump will visit Israel first to meet with hostages' families and address 
the Knesset, or parliament, an honor last extended to President George W. Bush 
in 2008.

   On to Egypt

   The president then will continue on to Egypt, where Trump and el-Sissi will 
lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries on 
peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.

   Both Israel and Egypt announced that Trump would receive their counties' 
highest civilian honors.

   The truce remains tenuous and the sides have not agreed on Gaza's postwar 
governance, the territory's reconstruction and Israel's demand that Hamas 
disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted 
it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

   Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and the territory's roughly 2 
million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the deal, 
Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of 
food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

   Roughly 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as 
part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and 
private-sector players.