Trump hails Gaza hostage deal in Knesset speech, vows to expand Abraham Accords

US President Donald Trump addressed the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday, celebrating the release of the 20 surviving hostages held in the Gaza Strip just two hours earlier. "This is not just the end of the war; this is the end of the era of terror and death and the beginning of the era of faith and God," Trump said.

Speaking for more than an hour, Trump hailed Israel’s resistance and praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for accepting the deal to end the Gaza war. Netanyahu, affirmed the American president, is "not easy to work with, but that's what makes him great." 

Trump added that with the release of the hostages Monday morning, he had managed to stop eight wars. “When you end eight wars in eight months, it means you don’t like war,” he said. The American leader also praised Arab countries’ roles in mediating the Gaza deal, saying the 2020 Abraham Accords between Israel, the Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan could now be expanded. “Peace is not just a dream; it’s a reality we can build upon piece by piece,” he said. Trump also spoke at length about the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last June, expressing hope that Tehran might one day join the “circle of peace.”

He said that the time has come for the Palestinians in Gaza to receive help so that they can live normal lives, noting he was traveling after Israel to Sharm el-Sheikh to meet with powerful and rich countries that are also engaged in assisting the reconstruction of Gaza.