US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel on Monday morning, coinciding with the start of the release of detainees between Hamas and Tel Aviv.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog officially receive Trump at Ben Gurion Airport.
After the reception, Trump will head to the Knesset in Jerusalem, where he will hold a meeting with Netanyahu and meet with the families of the hostages, before delivering a speech before a special session in which opposition leader Yair Lapid will also participate.
Strict security measures were imposed around the Knesset, and entry was limited to accredited employees and journalists.
Later in the afternoon, Trump departs for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to participate in a summit focused on the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, which is co-hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
According to an official statement from Cairo, about twenty regional and international leaders are expected to attend.
A Palestine Liberation Organization official confirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas will participate in the summit after coordination with the United States and Egypt to ensure official Palestinian representation.
On the other hand, Israeli sources reported that Netanyahu was not invited to the summit for fear that his presence would cause some Arab leaders to refrain from participating, while the summit aims to approve the formation of an international team to supervise the reconstruction of Gaza, led by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Israeli officials indicated that Tel Aviv would not boycott the summit despite not being officially invited, explaining that the meeting was limited to mediating countries and potential donors.
Trump revealed that work is underway to quickly form a new ruling council for Gaza, noting that Tony Blair is a candidate to lead it, but stressed the need for it to be “an option acceptable to everyone.”
He also praised the efforts of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia and Turkey in supporting the ceasefire negotiations, stressing that Netanyahu was “the right person for this stage” and that any differences between them were “resolved quickly.”
