Speaking aboard Air Force One on Monday morning, Trump said the truce would hold and announced plans to establish a 'Board of Peace' to oversee Gaza's reconstruction. He described the enclave as a 'demolition site' but predicted it would become 'a miracle' over the next decades.
'Everybody is happy, and I think it's going to stay that way,' Trump told reporters, praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar for their roles in mediating the deal.
Ceasefire holds as hostage release looms
The ceasefire, which took effect on Friday, marks the first phase of a 20-point peace plan brokered by Washington. Under the deal, Hamas is expected to release the remaining hostages it has held since the October 2023 attacks, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 taken captive.
Twenty hostages are believed to be alive, while Hamas is expected to return the remains of up to 28 others. In return, Israel is set to release roughly 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, once the hostages reach Israeli territory.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, including over 18,000 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The war left vast areas of Gaza in ruins and displaced more than 1.5 million people.
Regional diplomacy intensifies
Trump will address Israel's parliament, the Knesset, before travelling to Egypt for an international summit in Sharm El-Sheikh aimed at formally ending the war. Egyptian officials said a 'document ending the war in the Gaza Strip' is expected to be signed, with leaders from over 20 nations in attendance, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Iran confirmed it was invited to the summit but said its top leaders would not participate, citing tensions with Western governments.
Despite the ceasefire, Gaza's humanitarian crisis remains dire. Aid convoys began entering the enclave on Sunday, though UN officials say the volume falls far short of the 600 daily trucks needed to address severe shortages of food, water and medicine.
Palestinians returning to northern Gaza have found widespread destruction, with many homes reduced to rubble and unexploded ordnance scattered across residential areas.
Meanwhile, reports from Gaza City indicate renewed internal clashes between Hamas security forces and members of the Dughmush family, leaving at least 27 people dead in one of the most violent domestic confrontations since Israeli troops pulled back.
As Trump continues his tour, expectations are high but uncertainty remains over the next phases of the peace plan â€" including who will govern Gaza, whether Hamas will disarm, and how Israel will secure its borders.
'I'm good at solving wars,' Trump said. 'I'm good at making peace.'
Wycliffe Nyamasege
