Jerusalem, October 13, 2025: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday declared that the newly brokered Gaza ceasefire had ushered in the “historic dawn of a new Middle East,” marking what he described as the end of decades of conflict and instability across the region.
“After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace — a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity,” Trump said in his address to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
Calling the truce a “long-awaited triumph for peace,” Trump said the “long and painful nightmare” was finally over for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
“For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace… The long and painful nightmare is finally over,” he added.
As Trump spoke in Jerusalem, scenes of jubilation unfolded in Khan Yunis, where buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in exchange for hostages freed by Hamas arrived to cheering crowds waving Palestinian flags.
The U.S. president hailed the peace deal as an “incredible triumph for Israel and the world”, crediting Arab and Muslim mediators for their role in securing the breakthrough.
“Let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas to set the hostages free and to send them home,” Trump said.
Trump also expressed hope for a future peace deal with Iran, following U.S.-Israeli strikes earlier this year targeting Tehran’s nuclear facilities during a brief confrontation.
“They got it from one side, from the other — and you know it would be great if we could make a peace deal with them,” Trump said. “We’re ready when you are.”
He defended his earlier decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement signed under former President Barack Obama, saying, “I terminated the Iran nuclear deal, and I was very proud to do it.”
Trump’s speech was briefly interrupted when left-wing lawmaker Ofer Cassif was expelled from the Knesset after an apparent protest. The president paused and then quipped, “That was very efficient,” drawing laughter from the chamber.
In a surprise off-script remark, Trump also called for a presidential pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces multiple corruption trials.
“Hey, I have an idea. Mr President (Isaac Herzog), why don’t you give him a pardon?” he said. “That was not in the speech, as you probably know. But I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense.”
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war had reached 67,869, as recovery operations continued across the devastated enclave.
“The total toll of the Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023, has risen to 67,869 martyrs,” the ministry said in a statement.
Later on Monday, Trump is scheduled to travel to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to co-chair a “historic Gaza Peace Summit” alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said a “document ending the war in the Gaza Strip” was expected to be signed during the summit. According to diplomatic sources, mediators from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and likely Turkey will sign a guarantee document to formalize the truce.
Although Hamas will not attend, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will represent the Palestinian side.
Other expected attendees include UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Representation is also expected from the EU, Arab League, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India, and Germany, among others.
