Trump’s Middle East Moment: Hostages Freed, Crowds Jubilant, Peace in Motion

As President Trump’s long-shot peace plan takes its first real steps, Israelis celebrate the return of hostages while thousands of Palestinians walk free — and a fragile calm settles, for now.

President Trump addressed the Knesset in Israel on Monday as he visited the Middle East to mark the beginning of a peace accord to end the fighting in Gaza.

Thousands gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate the return of hostages from Gaza

Palestinian prisoners released from Israel have been greeted by huge crowds in the occupied West Bank, as a prisoner and captive exchange took place on Monday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal (AJE)

It was a day few thought possible. As Air Force One touched down in Tel Aviv, 20 living Israeli hostages were simultaneously freed — greeted by tearful scenes of jubilation in Hostage Square — while nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released to Gaza, the West Bank, and abroad. President Donald Trump, visibly buoyed by the moment, addressed the Knesset in what felt like both a victory lap and a re-election launch for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana declared, “The world needs more Trumps.” The line may not land well with Democrats and Trump opponents back home, but in Israel it brought the house down.

Now Trump heads to Sharm el-Sheikh for a high-stakes peace summit hosted by Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — joined by world leaders from Macron to Starmer. Can this fragile peace hold? Who will rebuild and govern Gaza? And will Hamas truly disarm as agreed? There are far more questions than answers — but for one extraordinary day, hope broke through the rubble.

In this World Briefing Plus video (for paid subscribers), I draw on my years of first-hand experience across the Middle East — from Gaza and the West Bank to Israel proper, Egypt, and Jordan — as both a UN worker and journalist.

I break down:
🇮🇱 Ohana’s “The world needs more Trumps” moment — and why it matters
🇪🇬 What’s next at the Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit
💰 Who will rebuild Gaza — and who will pay the price? Who will be invited onto the “board of peace?”

👉 Paid subscribers: watch below for my exclusive analysis and on-the-ground perspective. Upgrade today to unlock deeper context and my weekly “behind-the-headlines” videos.