“A great day for Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday evening, announcing approval of a historic deal to repatriate all remaining Israeli hostages – a breakthrough achieved with the direct support of President Donald Trump.
The announcement caps days of intense diplomacy, confirming a Trump-backed deal that will bring home all remaining Israeli hostages.
“I will convene the government to approve the deal and bring all our dear hostages home,” Netanyahu said in a statement on X. He praised the “courage and sacrifice” of Israeli soldiers and security forces, and thanked Trump and his team “for mobilizing for this sacred mission.”
Shortly afterward, he followed up on He said Israel had reached “this critical turning point” thanks to “unwavering determination, powerful military action and the great efforts of our great friend and ally, President Trump.”
“I thank President Trump for his leadership, partnership and steadfast commitment to the security of Israel and the freedom of our hostages,” Netanyahu added. “With the help of the Almighty, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors. God bless Israel. God bless America. God bless our great alliance.”
Trump, for his part, officially announced the agreement Wednesday evening on Truth Social, confirming that Israel and Hamas “have signed the first phase of our peace plan,” which “means that ALL hostages will be released very soon,” with Israel to “withdraw its troops to an agreed line as the first step toward a strong, lasting and everlasting peace.” He called it a “GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, all surrounding nations and the United States of America,” thanking the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
As Breitbart News Earlier reported, the deal could see all remaining Israeli hostages – taken on October 7, 2023 – released as early as this weekend.
At a White House news conference on Wednesday, Trump said he might travel to Egypt “towards the end of the week, maybe Sunday,” adding: “There’s a very good chance that the negotiations will go very well…Our final negotiation is with Hamas and it seems to be going well.” »
The agreement comes nearly two years after the October 7 attacks and follows Trump’s 20-point “Peace and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza,” unveiled last week at the White House alongside Netanyahu – linking reconstruction to the dismantling of Hamas and the return of all remaining hostages.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
