By Abiola Olawale
United States President Donald Trump declared the “war is over” in Gaza, just hours before touching down in Israel for a diplomatic push in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the region, Trump emphasized the end of the two-year conflict that has ravaged Gaza since Hamas’s devastating October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
The US President’s remarks come as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire enters its third day.
“The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” Trump, 79, said when asked if he was confident that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was finished.
Asked if the ceasefire would hold, he added: “I think it’s going to hold. I think people are tired of it. It’s been centuries.”
“Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time. This is a very special event,” Trump added.
The New Diplomat reports that Trump is expected to begin his diplomatic visit in Israel on Monday.
In Israel, Trump is due to meet the families of hostages seized by Hamas in its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack, before addressing the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.
Trump will then head to Egypt where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders to back his plan to end the Gaza war and promote Middle East peace.
Key US officials were traveling with him, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA chief John Ratcliffe, and top military officer Dan Caine.
