Trump hails 'tremendous day for Middle East' as leaders sign Gaza declaration

US President Donald Trump hailed a "tremendous day for the Middle East" as he and regional leaders signed a declaration on Monday meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners.

Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to parliament, before flying to Egypt for a Gaza summit where he and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed the declaration as guarantors to the Gaza deal.

"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 sat down to talk in the resort of Sharm El Sheikh.

"The document is going to spell out rules and regulations and lots of other things," Trump said before signing, repeating twice that "it's going to hold up."

As part of Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it held after two years of captivity in Gaza.

In exchange, Israel released 1,968 mostly Palestinian prisoners held in its jails, its prison service said.

"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 lawmakers during an address to Israel's parliament, where he received a lengthy standing ovation upon his arrival.

"For so many families across this land, it has been years since you've known a single day of true peace," he continued.

"Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over."

In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd that had gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain at the loss of those who had not survived was palpable.

In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, huge crowds gathered to welcome home the first buses carrying prisoners, with some chanting "Allahu akbar", or God is the greatest, in celebration.

And at a similar gathering in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, residents climbed the sides of slow-moving Red Cross buses carrying the prisoners to welcome home their loved ones with a hug or kiss.

'EMOTION AND SADNESS'

"Welcome home," Israel's foreign ministry said in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of the hostages.
On Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, Noga shared her pain and joy.

"I'm torn between emotion and sadness for those who won't be coming back," she said.

The US leader, however, repeatedly signalled he was confident the ceasefire will hold, saying at a joint appearance with Sisi in Sharm El Sheikh that talks on the next steps of the plan were underway.
"It's started, as far as we're concerned, phase 2 has started," he said. "The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other," he added.

Trump announced in late September a 20-point plan for Gaza, which helped bring about the ceasefire.
At his appearance with Sisi, he lauded the Egyptian leader as having been "very instrumental" in talks with Hamas.

Sisi, for his part, said Trump was the "only one capable of bringing peace to our region."

Trump also briefly met with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at the summit, which representatives of Israel and Hamas did not attend.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on Monday urged Trump and the mediators of the Gaza deal to "continue monitoring Israel's conduct and to ensure it does not resume its aggression against our people."

Agence France-Presse