<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US President </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="_blank" title="Donald Trump"><span>Donald Trump</span></a><span> called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East overnight during a global summit on Gaza's future, trying to advance broader peace in the region after visiting Israel to celebrate a US-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us," Trump said, and he urged leaders "to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The whirlwind trip, which included the summit in Egypt and a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/israel-gaza-update-donald-trump-addresses-israeli-knesset-calls-for-benjamin-netanyahu-pardon/3c63614b-9899-4340-bf0f-29b4a6f43dad" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Trump bathes in Israeli praise as final living hostages freed</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Everybody said it's not possible to do. And it's going to happen. And it is happening before your very eyes," Trump said alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nearly three dozen countries, including some from Europe and the Middle East, were represented at the summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump, el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a document that Trump said would lay the groundwork for Gaza's future. However, a copy was not made public.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/egypt-gaza-peace-summit-donald-trump-calls-for-new-era-in-middle-east/c3ca1d76-f027-4b9b-9a55-ce0b1bd5e282" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/israel-hostages-release-tears-of-joy-as-the-living-hostages-are-returned/187d044b-fe2a-4fc2-86b7-7c628b01a187" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Tears across Israel as living hostages reunite with families</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite unanswered questions about next steps in the Palestinian enclave, which has been devastated during the conflict, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He expressed a similar sense of finality about the Israel-Hamas war in his speech at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You've won," he told Israeli lawmakers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/israel-gaza-update-palestinians-celebrate-as-prisoners-are-released-by-israel-under-gaza-ceasefire-deal/500a53b2-ab04-483c-997b-d84cbb862931" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Palestinians celebrate as prisoners are released by Israel</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to "turn forever from the path of terror and violence."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"After tremendous pain and death and hardship," he said, "now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country's brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying "the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Trump's whirlwind trip</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They might not be there by the time I get there, but we'll give it a shot," Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on October 7, 2023, with an attack by Hamas-led militants. Trump talked with some of their families at the Knesset.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Your name will be remembered to generations," a woman told him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump's name and gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his "Make America Great Again" caps, although these versions said "Trump, The Peace President."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Netanyahu hailed Trump as "the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House," and he promised to work with him going forward.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Mr President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace," he said. "And together, Mr President, we will achieve this peace."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump, in an unexpected detour during his speech, called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as "one of the greatest" wartime leaders. Netanyahu faces corruption charges, although several hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Republican president also used the opportunity to settle political scores and thank his supporters, criticising Democratic predecessors and praising a top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the audience.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Trump pushes to reshape the region</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump's plan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza's main cities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump has said there's a window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The war is over, OK?" Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think people are tired of it," he said, emphasising that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said the chance of peace was enabled by his Republican administration's support of Israel's decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the US.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called "the Riviera of the Middle East." But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't know about the Riviera for a while," Trump said. "It's blasted. This is like a demolition site." But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory. "I'd like to put my feet on it, at least," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The sides have not agreed on Gaza's postwar governance, the territory's reconstruction and Israel's demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the territory's roughly two million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Roughly 200 US troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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