“I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
The deal if consummated will mark a way out of a war that has lasted more than 15 months so far. It would mark a halt to the relentless violence that began with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli communities and military bases near the Gaza border.
Trump credited his own representative on the negotiations and made no mention of those from Biden’s administration.
“With this deal in place, my national security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our allies to make sure Gaza never again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” Trump wrote.
“We will continue promoting peace through strength throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the world!”
Thousands of terrorists penetrated Israel’s border defenses that day, in some cases paragliding over them. They killed 1,200 people, mostly Jewish civilians but also non-Jewish Israelis and foreign farmworkers. The attackers outmatched troops at bases that were lightly manned on a Saturday that was both the Sabbath and a Jewish holiday.
The terrorists heavily damaged certain communities such as the Kfar Aza and Be'eri kibbutzes, murdering entire families, raping, setting buildings on fire, beheading people, setting bodies on fire, and even killing family dogs. They killed more than 300 attendees at the Nova music festival—an event promoting peace and love at a site near the border. They took 250 hostages and wounded thousands.
The IDF immediately began mobilizing for a counterattack. Ground operations began on Oct. 13, 2023, with a full-scale invasion on Oct. 27.
Israel’s ground forces, artillery, and air attacks have laid waste to the 140-square-mile coastal strip, leaving much of it uninhabitable.
Gaza civilians face shortages of food, with many relief shipments from Israel or abroad diverted by Hamas. Many people have had to evacuate multiple times, often after IDF warnings about buildings or areas designated for attack.
Gaza’s health authorities—who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists—said last week that more than 46,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The IDF has said it has killed over 17,000 militants, with many of the remaining casualties being civilians who were used as human shields as militants hid in residential areas, shelters, schools, and hospitals. The IDF has also accused Gaza of inflating the numbers with people who died of natural causes.