President Donald Trump departed for the Middle East on October 12, 2025, to oversee a historic peace agreement between Israel and Hamas that ends the two-year Gaza war. The deal includes the release of remaining hostages, with Trump expressing confidence in its success. He plans a brief visit to Israel and Egypt before returning for a White House ceremony.
President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One on October 12, 2025, from Joint Base Andrews, heading to Israel to mark the implementation of a peace deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas. The agreement, finalized after negotiations involving U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, aims to end the conflict that began with Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. "The war is over," Trump told reporters before departure, adding that the ceasefire "is going to hold" because "people are tired of it. It’s been centuries."
Upon landing in Tel Aviv early Monday, Trump is scheduled to meet families of hostages and address Israel's Knesset in Jerusalem. Hamas has agreed to release all 20 remaining living hostages "a little bit early," Trump said aboard Air Force One, noting they were found "in places you don’t want to know about." The group also committed to returning approximately 28 bodies of deceased hostages within a 72-hour window that began Friday night, though Israeli officials worry some remains may be unrecoverable. In exchange, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained after October 7, 2023. The Israel Defense Forces have withdrawn from central Gaza to a boundary line but remain in the territory.
Trump will then travel to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh for a Monday summit with more than 20 world leaders to finalize the accord, including a "Middle East Peace Ceremony." Reconstruction of Gaza, described by Trump as a "demolition site" with 90% of homes destroyed, will prioritize clearing rubble and restoring services, with hopes for investment from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. A new "Board of Peace" involving international figures, potentially including Tony Blair, is planned to oversee governance, and the U.S. has temporarily approved a Hamas local police force for security.
Vice President JD Vance noted on Fox News that while rescuing living hostages is the priority, returning remains for closure is crucial, though "some of the hostages may never get back." Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) praised Trump on CNN, saying, "He should get a lot of credit... This was his deal. He worked this out." Trump also lauded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for doing a "very good job" and revealed Netanyahu's Nobel Peace Prize nomination for him.
After the summit, Trump will return to Washington by Tuesday morning for a ceremony awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated Turning Point USA founder killed on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University. The event coincides with what would have been Kirk's 32nd birthday.
