As Donald Trump savoured the cheers of Israeli lawmakers it was a moment of triumph for the US president -- and as usual he made the most of it.
The 79-year-old hailed a "historic dawn" for the Middle East and declared the end of a "painful nightmare" with the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal he helped broker.
But Trump also let no one forget that the deal is the high watermark so far for his own turbulent second term in the White House.
Thousands of Palestinians erupted with joy in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday, as Red Cross buses brought back nearly 1,700 former prisoners.
Some climbed the sides of the slowly-moving buses as they weaved their way through the dense crowds gathered at Nasser Hospital, to hug or kiss a loved one they recognised.
By Howard Goller
(Reuters) -President Donald Trump, in a speech to Israel’s parliament, spotlighted mega-donor Miriam Adelson’s outsized influence on U.S. policy toward Israel, recalling her frequent White House visits with her late husband, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.
Sheldon Adelson, who died in 2021, assembled the world's largest casino empire as head of Las Vegas Sands Corp and put much of his fortune into nurturing conservative politicians and policies in the United States and Israel.
By Jana Choukeir and Ahmed Elimam
(Reuters) -The United States is prepared to make a deal with Iran when Tehran is ready, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday.
Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks, prior to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, which Washington joined by striking key Iranian nuclear sites.
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, during an address to the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.
During a more than one-hour speech, Trump said:
"Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon? Cigars and some champagne — who the hell cares?" referring to the fraud, bribery and breach of trust charges, which Netanyahu denies.
By Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi
RAMALLAH/CAIRO (Reuters) -Joyous Palestinians rushed to embrace prisoners freed under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement as they arrived by bus to the occupied West Bank and Gaza on Monday.
The prisoners were released after the Hamas militant group freed the last 20 living hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attacks that precipitated the war in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump on Monday told the Israeli parliament that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases, should be pardoned.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
"Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?" Trump joked, declaring his ally Netanyahu's one of Israel's greatest wartime leaders.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -At least five people were killed when Pakistani police clashed with members of a hardline Islamist group at an anti-Israel protest on the country's busiest highway, police said.
The far-right Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan, whose massive and often violent street protests have been a thorn in the side of multiple Pakistani governments, had called for the march ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement last week of a ceasefire deal to end the Gaza war.
By Pesha Magid
LAVON, Israel (Reuters) -A tightly-packed crowd in the northern Israeli town of Lavon leapt to their feet and erupted into jubilant cheers at news of the release of Alon Ohel, 24, a hostage from their community who had been held by Hamas for over two years.
"It was an amazing feeling. I waited for this moment, specifically to see his face and to see him smiling," said Inbar Halperin, 24, a childhood friend.
By Saeed Shah
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Border clashes over the weekend between Afghanistan and Pakistan led to the deaths of dozens of soldiers, the most serious clash between the two countries since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021, and gained the attention of U.S. PresidentDonald Trump. By Monday, the exchange of fire had ceased.
WHAT HAPPENED?
