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President Donald Trump on Monday hailed a “new beginning” for the Middle East ahead of his address to the Israeli parliament, as Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza.
Trump arrived in Israel Monday morning to coincide with the exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners between Israel and Hamas.
“This is my great honor — a great and beautiful day. A new beginning,” Trump wrote in a guest book.
The 20 living Israeli hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the conflict that began with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas terrorists. Israel also began to release around 2,000 Palestinians, including 250 terrorists.
TRUMP STARTS WEEK IN MIDDLE EAST, OVERSEEING HISTORIC PEACE AGREEMENT
Trump received several standing ovations from Israeli lawmakers as he prepared to give a speech after meeting with the families of hostages.
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.
WORLD LEADERS PRAISE ‘LANDMARK’ ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL MEDIATED BY US: ‘NEW HORIZON OF HOPE’
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.”
Following his visit to Israel, the president will then continue on to Egypt, where Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah 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.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
