U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Egypt and Israel on the 13th to coincide with the signing of a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip war between Israel and the Palestinian militant faction Hamas and the release of hostages.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) and others on the 10th (local time), President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that day that he would go to Egypt to meet many leaders from around the world and discuss the future of the Gaza Strip. He also plans to visit Israel and deliver a speech in the Knesset to commemorate the cease-fire agreement.
In this regard, the U.S. online outlet Axios reported that President Trump is expected to arrive in Israel first on the 13th, when the release of hostages is expected, deliver a speech in the Knesset, and meet with the hostages' families. In the afternoon, he will move to Egypt to attend a signing ceremony with Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye, the guarantors of the Gaza peace plan.
At this venue, President Trump is expected to hold a summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Leaders or foreign ministers from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia are expected to attend.
That day, President Trump mentioned an optimistic outlook that the cease-fire would hold. He said, "They are all tired of fighting," and "This is a great thing for Israel, but it is also a great thing for everyone."
Earlier on the 8th, Israel and Hamas agreed to a first-phase cease-fire to end the Gaza war based on President Trump's proposed "Gaza peace initiative." Accordingly, Israel put the cease-fire into effect at noon on the 10th and is withdrawing its troops. The hostages held by Hamas are expected to be all released around the 13th.
However, key issues such as Gaza's reconstruction and governance and the disarmament of Hamas remain unresolved, leaving the cease-fire's durability in doubt. Hamas and other armed groups in Palestine—the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)—issued a joint statement that day, rejecting foreign protection over the Gaza Strip and saying Gaza's governance is purely an internal Palestinian matter.
The "Peace Council" led by President Trump was formed under his initiative, under which a committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by this council will administer Gaza, and existing forces in Gaza, including Hamas, will be excluded from governing Gaza.