US President Donald Trump announced the achievement of “peace in the Middle East” on Monday after officially signing a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“Together we have achieved what everybody said was impossible,” Trump declared during a ceremony attended by the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, the key mediators who facilitated the deal, dw.com reports.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi praised Trump’s role in finalizing the ceasefire, describing the agreement as one that “closes a painful chapter in human history and opens a new era of peace and stability for the region.”
El-Sissi also announced that Egypt would award Trump the country’s highest civilian honor in recognition of his efforts.
Following the signing, Trump said the ceasefire marks the first phase of peace, with “phase two” of negotiations between Israel and Hamas already underway.
Speaking alongside President el-Sissi in Egypt, Trump noted, “As you know, the phases are all a little bit mixed up with each other,” adding that the Gaza Strip “needs a lot of cleaning up.”
Meanwhile, aid shipments are expected to begin entering Gaza “at scale and consistently” under the new agreement.
Earlier, Trump addressed the Israeli parliament, hailing the ceasefire as the “historic dawn of a new Middle East.” The deal led to the release of all living Israeli hostages by Hamas and the freeing of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered accord.
However, tensions remain, as the Hostage and Missing Families Forum accused Hamas of violating the agreement after only four bodies of deceased hostages were returned, calling for a temporary suspension of the peace deal until all remains are recovered.
Trump later traveled to Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, where he joined a high-level peace summit attended by over 20 world leaders, aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and outlining the next steps toward long-term stability in Gaza.
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