'War is over,' says Trump as Israelis and Palestinians await hostage-prisoner swap

As preparations are underway for the freeing of the 48 hostages, both alive and dead, and for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, US President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed confidence that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will hold.

 

Talking to reporters during an interaction with the press aboard Air Force One on his way to Israel, Trump asserted that the "war is over".

 

"I think it (ceasefire) is going to hold. There are a lot of reasons why it's going to hold. But I think people are tired of it. It's been centuries... I think people are tired of it," he said.

 

Trump, who is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday to meet the families of the hostages, will later leave for Egypt. Cairo is hosting the negotiations between Israel and Hamas after the US President announced the 21-point Gaza Peace Plan.

 

Israel expects that its 20 living hostages will be released on Monday. They are expected to be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and to the Israeli military, which will take them to the Reim military base in southern Israel.

 

These hostages have been in captivity for the last 737 days since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 250 others.

 

"This is going to be a very special time... Everybody's very excited about this moment in time," Trump said. 

 

"This is the first time everybody is amazed and they're thrilled, and it's an honour to be involved".

 

'Eighth war I have solved'

 

Trump reiterated his claim of ending several long-standing global conflicts and said he could take up the ongoing tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan once he returned.

 

"This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I'll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars," he said. 

 

As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinians—around 1,700 of them were captured by the IDF from Gaza during the war and held without charge since. The rest are Palestinians serving prison sentences.

 

Meanwhile, humanitarian organisations are preparing to surge aid into the Gaza Strip, particularly food, which has been in short supply in many areas.

Middle East