The U.S. president traveled to Israel to address the Knesset and then to Egypt to sign a deal meant to ensure long-term peace between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
President Donald Trump visited Israel and Egypt on Oct. 13 to mark the first phase of a cease-fire deal that saw the Hamas terrorist group release living hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of Palestinian detainees.
The cease-fire deal could bring about the end of more than two years of fighting, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed in that attack, and Hamas fighters took 251 more to the Gaza Strip as hostages.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the auspices of a Hamas-controlled territorial government, has reported more than 67,000 Gazans killed during Israel’s military campaign of the past two years. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and noncombatants, and exact casualty figures could not be verified.
As he addressed leaders from around the region, Trump said the next steps in the Gaza cease-fire process are in the works, and cast the moment as “the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope.”
Here are five key moments from the president’s Middle East visit.
Hostages Freed
The remaining 20 Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas terrorists more than two years ago were released and reunited with their families on Oct. 13.
“After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families, and it is glorious,” Trump said during an address to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament.
The president has long vowed to bring home all the hostages, including the deceased ones.
Israeli and Palestinian officials are searching for the bodies of approximately 24 people who died in captivity after four corpses were returned, Trump told reporters while headed to Egypt. Search parties are scouring the rubble of the war-torn Gaza Strip, looking for the remains.
In exchange for the return of the hostages, Israel released more than 1,900 Palestinians, including approximately 250 who were imprisoned for various offenses.
Social media posts from friends and family members reunited with their loved ones depict scenes of the newly freed individuals brimming with emotion.
In an X post from the Israel Defense Forces, video footage shows Eitan Mor hugging his father while his parents cry tears of joy.
Another family expressed gratitude for the worldwide support.
“For two years we waited for this moment—the moment our little family would be whole again,” Rivka Bohbot, the wife of Elkana Bohbot, who was abducted during the terror attack and had not seen his spouse or young son in 738 days, said in an X post from the hostage advocacy group Bring Them Home Now.
“Thank you to everyone who supported us, fought for us, embraced us, and helped.”
Thousands of Israelis could be seen lining the streets, waving flags, and cheering to welcome the convoy of freed hostages on Oct. 13.
The return came on the eve of the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah, known as a joyous celebration that marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.
By Ryan Morgan and Travis Gillmore
