'Long nightmare over': Donald Trump in Israel's Parliament as Hamas releases all hostages
PTC News Desk: US President Donald Trump said on Monday a "long nightmare" was finally over for Israelis and Palestinians alike after the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal was agreed between Israel and Hamas.
"The forces of chaos that have plagued the region are totally defeated," he said in a speech before Israel's Parliament.
Trump who claimed to have brokered the truce, said that the release of all the hostages holds significant reverance for the region long marred by the conflict. “The hostages are back. It feels so good to say it,” he told cheering Knesset members in Jerusalem.
“Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change, and change very much for the better.”
Calling Netanyahu “a tough man to deal with, but that’s what makes him exceptional,” Trump praised Israel’s growing power as the key to achieving peace. “It was Israel’s strength and resilience that ultimately brought peace,” he said.
The Washington-brokered agreement led to the release of the last 20 surviving hostages by Hamas in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed by Israel. The Israeli military confirmed it had received all the surviving captives after their handover by the Red Cross, sparking emotional celebrations in Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square.”
As released Palestinian prisoners returned to Gaza and the West Bank — some weak and frail, their heads shaved — Trump proclaimed, “The long and painful nightmare has finally come to an end.”
Meanwhile, Trump was also briefly heckled by a Left-wing member of the Knesset, who was promptly expelled.
- With inputs from agencies
