In Egypt for a conference on the peace process in the Gaza Strip, the US President also referred to the beginning of “cleaning”, alluding to the devastation caused by more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
The US President announced this Monday in Egypt the start of negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
“It has begun. I mean, it has begun, as far as phase two is concerned. And, as you know, the phases are in a certain way interconnected”, declared Donald Trump, speaking to the press alongside his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, regarding the second stage of the truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
In Egypt for a conference on the peace process in the Gaza Strip, the US President also referred to the beginning of “cleaning”, alluding to the devastation caused by more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
“Look at Gaza… it needs a lot of cleaning (…) It’s rubble multiplied by ten. But we’ll do a good job,” he said, on the day that Hamas released 20 live hostages it had held since October 2023 in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The agreement was promoted by the United States and negotiated over several days in Sharm el-Sheikh with the mediation of delegations from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. At this stage, fA ceasefire was agreed, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, the mass entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave and the exchange of hostages for prisoners.
“He did a fantastic job of bringing this country together“
The second phase will address the reconstruction of the enclave, as well as the disarmament of Hamas and the governance of the Gaza Strip. In statements to the press, Donald Trump praised his Egyptian counterpart, highlighting his dual status as statesman and general.
“He is a very powerful leader. My friend is President and a general. The reason is that he is both, and he is good at it (…) He has done a fantastic job in uniting this country, and the United States supports us at all times”, he declared.
Furthermore, it considered that Al-Sisi played “a very important role” with Hamas, given that the Palestinian group “respects this country and the Egyptian leadership.”
Regarding those invited to the peace agreement ceremony, he commented that “the richest nations are here”as well as “all the leaders, the great leaders”, referring to “a very interesting group”especially with regard to the Persian Gulf countries.
Trump, who traveled to Tel Aviv this Monday before arriving three hours late in Egypt, met with family members of hostages and spoke in Jerusalem at the Israeli parliament (Knesset), where he stressed that Israel achieved everything it could by force of arms and that now is the time to transform these victories into the “maximum prize for peace”.
The conference he will co-chair with Al-Sisi foresees the participation of leaders from several countries and the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, but neither the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, nor Hamas will be present.
The mediating countries must sign a document in Sharm el-Sheikh that guarantees the implementation of the ceasefire. Hamas has already handed over to the Red Cross, in two waves, the 20 live hostages held in captivity in the Gaza Strip for more than two years.
International committee will help the Islamist group find the bodies of hostages reported missing
At this stage, Hamas is also expected to return the bodies of the 28 dead hostages, but the armed wing of the movement indicated that it only plans to return four during today.
According to the ceasefire agreement, an international committee will help the Islamist group find the bodies of hostages reported missing. As part of the exchange, Israel is expected to release 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, of which 154 will be deported outside the country, according to the main associations representing the prisoners, both Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people died and 251 were taken hostage.
In retaliation, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, which caused more than 67,000 deaths, according to local authorities controlled by Hamas, the destruction of almost all of the territory’s infrastructure and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
